Flights to the Chathams

Discount flights to Chatham Islands - from 945 RV

Receive a warning when rates fall from Frankfurt to Auckland. The Chatham Islands is 29,757 km from Auckland Intl Airport (Auckland, New Zealand). Currently 54 carriers are operating from Auckland Intl Airport. The Auckland Intl Airport operates non-stop flights to 58 towns. There are at least 2,061 flights from Auckland Airport and 1,319 flights from abroad every city.

Safe flight to the Chathams

Straits Freight Express Limited was named a seven-year flight to the Chatham Islands on 6 October 1967. Originally scheduled to begin in 1968, the mission was to fly between Wellington and Hapupu airport on Chatham Island with Bristol Freighter planes.

The NAC was to make available agencies and administrative institutions, and potential travellers could buy Chatham Island seats at any NAC offices. Straits Air Freight Express was renamed Safe Air on 31 October 1967. For this purpose, a brochure titled What's in a Name? was released, which ended with a declaration on the Chatham ministry proposed:

As part of a deal with the internal department, we will operate a post-Christmas air travel services for people. The two Bristol's are being retrofitted with ferry pods, a new approach to intermodal transport. The" Capsule " is developed to provide a much higher level of comfort for passengers than would normally be the case with a Bristol freighter with empty box.

They were 20 ft long, 8 ft broad and 6 ft high and were constructed to glide into the cargo area of the cargo ship, like the cargo of Safe-Air. SafeAir published a brochure in 1970 on the company's New Zealand aviation activities containing a good capsule brief.

In order to obtain an ultra-lightness, Safe Air and Glenroy Products from Blenheim have developed a new material composition for the capsules. A large part of the recognition for the pod goes to the head of Safe Air Captain Keith Beattie, DFC, who had the brainchild to use a pod for passenger transport.

An air hostess was provided for the convenience of the guests on the two- to three-hour trip to and from the Chathams. Safe Air had eleven Bristol freighters at that period and two of them, ZK-CLT and ZK-CRK, kept their hull window for operating the aircraft. They were both equipped with DME and HF for the 770 km long trip to the Chathams.

It was made clear in media releases that the services are primarily intended for passenger transport, but that there is also little room for the transport of various small goods and other goods such as replacement parts for the fisheries fleets. In the nine years before Safe Air operated its scheduled flight to the Chathams, the Royal New Zealand Air Force connected the island to the continent.

The use of pleasure craft continued until 22 March 1967, when the NZ4113 took off from Te Whanga Lagoon for its last voyage to Wellington. The RNZAF Bristol Freighters then offered frequent flights to the Chathams. RNZAF's last RNZAF mission was on the Bristol Freighter NZ5904 on January 19, 1968.

RNZAF was able to serve Hapupu airport under less strict conditions than a civilian airport operating company, and the transfer from the air force to Safe Air required an extension of the airstrip in Hapupu from 1035 to 1425 meters. The work was concluded in September 1967, although it took several month for the lawn department to be sufficiently concentrated to permit the extension of the take-off and landing area.

A Safe Air Bristol Freighter brought a Graham Stewart & Co (1965) Ltd. Cessna 180 ZK-BWK and a chopper to the Chathams on 24 February 1968 to help the burgeoning cancer community. Helicopters were built on Pitt Island, lifting and resetting the crab shells, while the Cessna 180 flown the crab cocks to Chatham for freeze and packaging for shipping to New Zealand and exports to the United States.

At the beginning of August 1968, the number of flights was raised from one to two per week for a probationary three-month time. From the first flights in January to July, 36 flights with 1147 people were operated. Chatham Islanders were enthusiastic about the new services and saw the possibilities it provided for the development of domestic industries.

The Chathams flew a sample shipment of first-class meats to Wellington on September 10, 1968. Safe-air made a cheaper trip to the Chathams the following mon. Governor General Sir Arthur Porritt and Lady Porritt made an offical trip to the isles. Safe Air Services were discontinued after the plane trip on July 2.

On the next morning Tasman Air restarted air travel with Piper Navajo ZK-CUF. Tasman Air took off from Christchurch twice a week on 22 July. The Navajo had to have enough gas for the plane's homeward journey so that one pilots and co-pilots could only carry four Christchurch and six Chatham pilots on the comeback.

Safe Air services recommenced on 29 July. Hapupu's condition was a permanent theme for Safe Air's Bristol Freighter airlines. Tasman Air from Christchurch has persuaded Safe Air to investigate the option of providing a Christchurch-Chatham Islands flight itinerary. Wellington was originally chosen as the final destination on the continent by the Internal Affairs Department after a user poll showed that 51% of travellers came from the Upstate.

There was evidence that there was sufficient request for a Christchurch and Christchurch based marine services. Tasman Air's request to provide a continuous flight between Christchurch and Chathams Safe Airport was considered more preferable than Tasman Air's suggest.

Safe Air acquired a stake in Safe Air in September 1970, thereby enhancing the company's profitability, and in September 1972 Safe Air became a 100% NAC affiliate. Bristol normally transported 20 people from Wellington and 16 from Christchurch, but in 1972 the number of people from Wellington was also cut to 16.

Safe Air's Chathams lost $42,953 in the year that ended March 31, 1974. This year the company flew 116 flights and transported 3128 people, 33,809 lbs of post and 168,431 lbs of cargo. Nevertheless, the importance of aviation was indisputable, and in mid-1974 the government basically authorized the building of a new airport at Karewa Point on the Chatham Islands with the anticipation that it would go into operation by 1980.

The revenues Safe Air generated from the operation of the Chathams Air services were withheld by the corporation, and any gap in the provision of the services was closed by the government. When a profit led to a year, it should be a loan to the government. However, the ministry worked consequently with deficit, as the casualties from 1972 to 1977 show.

It was proposed in 1971 to reduce the Christchurch line as a cost-saving measures. At the time, the Air Services Licensing Authority believed that the Christchurch service should be maintained and that the scheduled flights from Wellington to Christchurch should continue until 1975, when Safe Air stopped scheduled flights between the Chatham Islands and Christchurch at the government's demand.

Safe Air to the Chatham Islands was an unscheduled activity and there was no need to contact the Air Services Licensing Authority before the government's amendment was made. After that, it travelled twice a week between Wellington and the Chatham Islands, although two third of the passengers began or ended in Christchurch.

By mid-1977, Titan Air Services requested the Air Services Licencing Authority to implement a Christchurch directly into the Chathams Titan. Initially, the Department of the Interior notified the licensing authority that, as a result of representing the interests of the Chatham Islands, the former triangulation that ran Wellington-Chatham-Islands-Christchurch would resume at an early stage if the authority agreed to a revision of $88 (versus $77) between Christchurch and the Chatham Islands.

Under the new schedule, there would be a Friday one-way service between Chatham and Wellington and a Tuesday-only service between Wellington, the Chathams and Christchurch and a second Tuesday-only service between Christchurch, Chatham and Wellington. By this time, Chatham's relationships and hospitals and specialist care were largely focused on Christchurch, and most of the students who completed high school were in South Island school.

Pure cargo traffic to the Chatham Islands was also carried out from Lyttelton and these elements have made Christchurch an important target for the islanders. While the government agreed to the need to provide a flight connection to the Chatham Islands, it did accept the need it met primarily for fillers.

More interesting information was provided in the Air Service Licensing Authority review. As of March 31, 1977, a combined of 3351 people were transported on 127 round-trip flights. Thereof 637 (19%) were kids, who paid half of the ticket price, and in excess of 160 unpaid kids under 4 years were transported.

At the beginning and end of the tourist season it is not uncommon for one stage to have a full load and the other only a restricted number of people. These factors affect both the cost-effectiveness of the services and, in the case of high numbers of island users, the volume of cargo to be carried.

In the year ending 31 March 1977, the Chathams transported 12,762 kg of post (78% or 9,954 kg of which went to the Chathams) and 83,334 kg of other cargo (661 or 55,303 of which came from the Chathams, 19,460 kg of sea and crabs). Of the 127 flights of the last business year, 27 were unloaded.

We accept that there are more air freight offers than the current one can handle. Talks are being conducted between the government and Safe Air Limited, possibly to increase the number of flights. It is not surprising that the licensing authority was of the opinion that the implementation of a second ministry would not be useful for the current ministry - "nor would the suggested ministry help in case of an emergency in the Chatham Islands.

Bristol's are available and can be used for charity flights if called for. "The Authority cleared an airfare of $88 from Safe Air Limited between the Chatham Islands and Christchurch and the scheduled flights between Christchurch and the Chathams were resumed on Tuesday, August 2, 1977. Position of the three airfields on Chatham.....

To the right, Point Waikato flight station, the actual Tuuta and Hapupu airports used by RNZAF and Safe Air's Bristol Freighters and Tasman Air's Piper Navajo. Work on the new Chatham Karewa Point International Airports began in 1980. While the government had envisaged that the friendship of AAZ would substitute Safe's aging Bristol freighters when the aerodrome was opened, Safe AA and AAZ proposed to the government in November 1980 that Safe AA should use their Argosy planes on the Chathams when the island's new flight lane was inaugurated.

The government was unlikely to protect its two long-haul friendlies, as they were needed to run on Auckland's Norfolk Island, Air New Zealand said. Ministry of the Interior, which managed the Chatham Islands, was dissatisfied with the Safe Air - Air New Zealand scheme, especially as the friendship scheme was so far along.

The Argosies were also found to be losing more than the Friendships for the three times fortnight' s work - a deficit that would have to be compensated by state grants. Lastly, it would take $100,000 to make capsule and hide the Argosies for airliners. The Argosies would provide the Chatham Islanders with much more cargo space, Safe Aviation argument.

Although the government was not pleased, it was reported on December 22 that the Argosies would take over the Chatham Islands from the Bristol freighters. The new Inia William Tuuta Memorial Airport on Chatham was opened on 30 June 1981 by the Prime Minister, Right Honorable Robert Muldoon.

SAFE Air Bristol Freighter ZK-CLT carried out the first formal touchdown of an airplane that carries New Zealand airlines. But it was to be another year before the Argosy took over the Chathams ministry. Christchurch-Chathams' first Argosy mission was operated by ZK-SAE on 16 June 1982.

As the Bristols before them, the Argosy accommodated them in a "removable cabin " with Air New Zealand Boeing 737 trim. Argosy transported 30 people with a flight attendant and elevated freighter. The government discontinued the Chatham Island grant on 30 June 1990.

About seven a fortnight later, on August 17, 1990, it was reported that Safeair was shut down on September 30, 1990. Corporate CEO Ron Tannock said that the management's decisions were influenced by the lack of a large charters agreement, low freight traffic, insecurity about the airline's passenger/freight services to the Chatham Islands and the finite lifespan of the company's Argosy family.

She was anaesthetised by Safe Air's choice to close Chatham Islanders, which has been operated by Safe Air for 22 years. Chatham Islands County Council President Bunty Preece said the news had come like a bomb. "A good videoclip about Safe Air with the Bristol Freighter and Argosy at the Chathams can be found here: