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Sounds Air

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Sounds Air
File:Sounds Air Logo.jpg
IATA ICAO Call sign
S8 SDA[1] SOUNDSAIR[1]
Founded1986
HubsWellington International Airport
Fleet size10
Destinations9
HeadquartersPicton, New Zealand
Key peopleCliff Marchant (Director/Owner), Andrew Crawford (Managing Director/Owner), Steve Handyside (Director/Owner)
Websitesoundsair.com
A Sounds Air Cessna Caravan at Wellington International Airport in 2009
Sounds Air Grand Caravan landing at Picton in 2006.
A Sounds Air Grand Caravan at Christchurch Airport in 2014.
One of Sounds Air's PC12's (ZK-PLV) at Wellington International.

Sounds Air is a New Zealand airline based at Picton.[2] The airline was founded in 1986 by Cliff and Diane Marchant with a vision to provide low cost flights to the Marlborough Sounds.[3] The airline has a maintenance facility at the Feilding aerodrome 9 miles (15 kilometres) northwest of Palmerston North as well as Omaka aerodrome with its Sounds Aero Maintenance division based there.[4]

History

From a single Cessna Caravan operating one route across the Cook Straight, Sounds Air has grown in 30 years; the airline carried 78,000 passengers in 2015, compared to 14,000 passengers in 2003. In 2008 the airline set up its own maintenance division as the airline could not find a company suitable to maintain its fleet.[5] In 2017, Sounds Air signalled that they were looking at buying twin engine planes for the first time: up to three 19-seater Beech 1900 aircraft to support extra demand for the Blenheim to Christchurch route.[6]

Services

Sounds Air operates scheduled flights between Wellington and Picton, Nelson, Blenheim, Taupo and Westport.[7][8] Scheduled flights are also available between Blenheim and Christchurch,[9] [10] and Paraparaumu. Nelson also has flights to Paraparaumu.[11] Sounds Air formerly served Kaikoura, Napier and Whanganui[12] from Wellington, Napier from Blenheim and Kapiti Coast from Picton.[13] A service to Masterton was being considered from Wellington, however no such service eventuated, because the town wanted the link to Auckland reinstated instead.[14] In addition to scheduled flights Sounds Air offers scenic flights over the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman National Park.[15] The airline started temporary services to Kaikoura from Christchurch and Blenheim on 21 November 2016 following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake.[16] The Kaikoura to Christchurch flights ceased from 27 January 2017[17] followed by the Blenheim flights on 29 December 2017. From this date onwards Kaikoura will become a charter route only.[18]

Destinations

Sounds Air operates scheduled services to the following destinations within New Zealand:

City IATA Airport Status
Blenhiem BHE Woodbourne Airport Current
Christchurch CHC Christchurch International Airport Current
Kaikōura KBZ Kaikoura Airport Terminated
Napier NPE Hawke's Bay Airport[19] Terminated
Nelson NSN Nelson Airport Current
Paraparaumu PPQ Kapiti Coast Airport Current
Picton PCN Picton Aerodrome Current
Taupo TUO Taupo Airport Current
Wanganui WAG Whanganui Airport Terminated
Wellington WLG Wellington International Airport Current
Westport WSZ Westport Airport Current

Fleet

As of July 2020 the Sounds air fleet consists of ten aircraft[20].

Aircraft Total Orders Passengers
(Economy)
Cessna 208 Caravan
5
 12
Pilatus PC-12
5
 9[5]
Total 10

Accidents and incidents

  • On 19 March 1989 Britten Norman BN2A Islander, ZK-SFE, while attempting to land at Tiraora Lodge struck a telephone wire and descended into the sea. The pilot and five passengers were rescued but suffered varying degrees of injury.[21]
  • On 29 January 1996 Cessna 208 Caravan, ZK-SFA, crashed into the eastern slopes of Mount Robertson on approach to Picton Aerodrome at Koromiko after a flight from Wellington. All five passengers were killed, but the pilot survived.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b Not an ICAO allocation – issued for domestic use by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
  2. ^ "Airline schedules more Nelson flights". The Nelson Mail. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Ltd, Beacon Hill Design. "Sounds Aero Maintenance » Marlborough based aircraft maintenance". www.soundsaero.co.nz.
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Oliver. "Charting its own course: Marlborough airline Sounds Air is flying high in the cut-throat world of aviation". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Larger planes between Christchurch and Blenheim could return early next year". Stuff .co.nz. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. ^ L, Steve (21 January 2015). "3rd Level New Zealand: Exciting News for Sounds Air and Westport".
  8. ^ "Regional routes rise again". Stuff.
  9. ^ "Sounds Air to replace Air NZ on Christchurch to Blenheim route". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Wine flights on track for November". Stuff.
  11. ^ "Timetables". Sounds Air. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  12. ^ "Airline cans Wellington service". Wanganui Chronicle. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  13. ^ L, Steve (23 December 2013). "3rd Level New Zealand: A lovely day in Kaikoura".
  14. ^ "Sounds Air looks at landing Wairarapa deal". Stuff.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "Sounds Air starts special flights to quake-hit Kaikoura". Newshub. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Sounds Air". www.facebook.com.
  18. ^ L, Steve (22 December 2017). "3rd Level New Zealand: Kaikoura Flights to End".
  19. ^ "Planes going one way empty': Sounds Air cut Napier to Blenheim service". Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  20. ^ https://www.soundsair.com/about-us/fleet/pilatus-pc12/
  21. ^ "Aviation Reports". TAIC. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  22. ^ "Aviation Reports". Aviation Reports. TAIC. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
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