Salt Air

Last updated

Salt Air
Salt Air NZ logo.png
Founded1992
Fleet size5
Headquarters Paihia waterfront, Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Key peopleGrant Harnish (CEO /Owner)
Website http://www.saltair.co.nz

Salt Air is a New Zealand charter airline based at Paihia in the Bay of Islands, in the Northland Region of the North Island.

Contents

Until November 2012 Salt Air flew scheduled air services between North Shore Aerodrome in Auckland, Whangarei and the Bay of Islands, with a base at Kerikeri Airport. This 'Xpress Service' was sold to Flight Hauraki [1]

History

Salt Air is a family business that was established by Grant Harnish in December 1992. Initially it operated scenic flights around the Bay of Islands from the central Paihia waterfront in a Grumman Widgeon seaplane. The business grew steadily in the first season and it was decided to make the Bay of Islands a more permanent base. Salt Air established their head office in a new building at the seaplane ramp in Paihia.

Salt Air Gippsland GA-8 ZK-MAB at Kerikeri Airport in 2020 Salt Air GA-8 ZK-MAB.jpg
Salt Air Gippsland GA-8 ZK-MAB at Kerikeri Airport in 2020

As an extension to the seaplane operation, Salt Air began operating land-based aircraft from the airports at Haruru Falls and Kerikeri. These aircraft were in turn used for Cape Reinga tours, flying to an airstrip at Waitiki Landing, 20 kilometres from the cape. From the airstrip, passengers were taken on a van tour of Cape Reinga and the Te Paki Sand Dunes. In 2008, the airline purchased a Gippsland GA-8 Airvan for the Cape Reinga tours, operating twice daily in summer and daily in winter. [2]

In 2001 helicopters were introduced to the operation, offering scenic flights over the Bay of Islands from the Paihia waterfront, and also charter flights.

In 2007, Salt Air purchased a Cessna Caravan to be utilised on the 'Salt Air Xpress' service from Whangarei to North Shore Aerodrome in Auckland. The bus service connected with Salt Air operated vans which took advantage of the Northern Busway to transport passengers directly to the city centre free of traffic. The service expanded to Kerikeri in mid-2008. [3] Despite reported success, the 'Salt Air Xpress' service was sold to Flight Hauraki in 2012 to streamline operations, the last service operating on 31 October that year. The Cessna Caravan was removed from the fleet as a result. [3]

In addition to the scenic flights, a large amount of charter work to various airports in the North Island has increased Salt Air's profile in the tourism and charter aviation scene within New Zealand.

Salt Air also uses their Longrangers for firefighting

Fleet

Salt Air Fleet [4]

AircraftTotal in FleetPassengersNotes
GippsAero GA8 Airvan 16 or 7Used for scheduled Cape Reinga tours.
Robinson R44 Raven II 13
Bell B206L-3 Longranger 35 or 6

Destinations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whangarei Airport</span> Airport in Whangārei

Whangārei Airport is an airport 4 nautical miles to the south east of Whangārei city, in the suburb of Onerahi, on the east coast of Northland in the North Island of New Zealand. The airport has a single terminal with two gates.

Mount Cook Airline was a regional airline based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Formerly part of the Mount Cook Group and latterly a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, it operated scheduled services throughout the country under the Air New Zealand Link brand. In December 2019, the brand name was retired with all services operated under the Air New Zealand banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tauranga Airport</span> Airport in Tauranga

Tauranga Airport is an airport serving the city of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located adjacent to Tauranga Harbour in the suburb of Mount Maunganui, approximately 3 km northeast of Tauranga CBD. The terminal is located to the north of the runway, on Jean Batten Drive, and consists of a two-storey building with four tarmac gates. Air New Zealand serves the airport through its subsidiaries Mount Cook Airline and Air Nelson, with flights to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. A further two regional airlines also operate to the airport, as well as scenic and charter flights, skydiving operations and general aviation.

Fly My Sky was a small airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. It operated between Auckland, Matamata and Great Barrier Island. The airline went into liquidation at the end of June 2021. The airline evolved out of the now also defunct Mountain Air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrier Air</span> Airline of New Zealand

Barrier Air is a New Zealand airline that was established in 1983 by Jim Bergman as Great Barrier Airlines. The head office is located at the Domestic Terminal at Auckland Airport in Mangere, with additional offices in the terminal buildings at Great Barrier Aerodrome, Kaitaia Airport and North Shore Aerodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Air Charters</span>

Island Air Charters is an air charter company based in Tauranga, New Zealand. The company is owned by Paul Ensor and offers charter services around the Bay of Plenty using Cessna light aircraft.

North Shore Aerodrome, also called North Shore Airport and Dairy Flat Airfield, is a small, uncontrolled aerodrome located 2 nmi (3.7 km) south southwest of Silverdale, near Auckland in New Zealand's North Island.

Kerikeri Airport, also known as Bay of Islands Airport, is an airport at Kerikeri, New Zealand. It is about a three-hour drive from Auckland and a 45-minute flight from Auckland Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterCity (New Zealand)</span>

InterCity is a passenger transport and tourism company in New Zealand. Parent company Entrada Travel Group operates the country's only long distance bus network, and ferries and cruises in the Bay of Islands. Its brands are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air West Coast</span>

Air West Coast is an airline based in Greymouth, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunair</span> Airline of New Zealand

Sunair is an airline based in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Spring Air</span>

Salt Spring Air part of Harbour Air Seaplanes, was a floatplane company based on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada. It operates scheduled flights, charter air service and tours based in Ganges in Harbour Air Seaplanes livery with the Salt Spring Air name on the side of the aircraft and specializes in routes between the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. Along with West Coast Air, Harbour Air and Seair Seaplanes, Salt Spring Air is one of the four airlines that operate in the Vancouver Harbour Water Airport and Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre. Scheduled flights by the company also operate between the Gulf Islands and the Vancouver International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Whitsunday</span> Australian charter airline

Air Whitsunday is a charter airline based in Australia that operates a fleet of seaplanes. The company also operates tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Air (New Zealand)</span>

Mountain Air was a scenic flight operation founded in 1988 and was based at the Chateau Airfield on the edge of the Tongariro National Park Dual World Heritage area. The majority of Mountain Air's business were scenic flights, but the company also provided charter flight options, and was the sole provider of aerial tracking for Kiwi and Short-tailed bats in the Central North Island. On 28 March 2021, the airline ceased all operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of the Northland Region</span>

New Zealand's Northland Region is built upon a basement consisting mainly of greywacke rocks, which are exposed on the eastern side of the peninsula. In-place Eocene coal measures crop out at Kamo, near Whangarei, and Oligocene limestone crops out at Hikurangi, near Whangarei.

Kaikohe Aerodrome is an airfield south-east of Kaikohe in the Northland region of New Zealand. Built in 1942 as a US Marines bomber base, is the largest grass strip in the Southern hemisphere used now by general aviation. Other than powered aircraft, gliders use the airfield, and an area next to the runways is used by model airplane flyers. There are skydiving operations as well, with a landing spot near the old terminal.

Air Safaris is a New Zealand scenic flight and air charter company based at the Lake Tekapo Airport located 2.8 km west of the town of Lake Tekapo, off State Highway 8 in the Mackenzie District of New Zealand. The airline operates from 5 bases: Tekapo, Franz Josef, Glentanner, Twizel and Mt Cook airports. The company logo is a stylised chamois; these are wild goat-like antelope which inhabits the region of the South Island High Country.

Air Auckland was a small airline based at Ardmore Airport in New Zealand. The company is a fixed-wing and CAA part 135 air operator that offers flight services including regular flights to Whitianga and Great Barrier Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Seaplanes</span> Australian airline

Sydney Seaplanes is a domestic and charter carrier in and around Sydney and is the largest seaplane operator in Australia, operating hundreds of flights a week during the peak tourist season. Founded in August 2006 with one aircraft, Sydney Seaplanes has grown in direct response to the growing incoming Asian tourist markets and the leisure VIP market.

References

  1. ↑ "Operator sells to spread wings". The Northern Advocate. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Cape Reinga Fly Drive Tour". Salt Air. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 L, Steve (8 April 2010). "3rd Level New Zealand: Salt Air - The Xpress service to Northland". 3rd Level New Zealand. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "Salt Air LTD. - Our Fleet". Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.