Airlines and Airports
As a country with less than 5 million people, we have a limited number of airlines and airports.
While our two main airlines in New Zealand are Air New Zealand and the more budget counterpart Jetstar, there are also a number of lesser-known airlines that take charter flights to destinations with smaller airports, or scenic flights to stunning small town destinations.
Let’s have a look at what these airlines offer, and how to make the most of all kinds of air travel in New Zealand - scenic or otherwise.
Air Chathams is New Zealand’s largest privately owned airline, flying to some of the best regional destinations. With daily flights to Auckland from Whakatāne, Kapiti, and Whanganui, Air Chathams also flies to Chatham Islands, Norfolk Island, Wellington, and Christchurch.
Sounds Air is an airline based in Picton. Named ‘Sounds Air’ due to the fact that it regularly flies over the stunning Marlborough Sounds (doubling as a beautiful scenic flight), these 12-seater Cessna Caravan planes fly daily to Wellington, Kapiti, Nelson, Westport, Christchurch, Blenheim, and Taupo.
This regional domestic airline flies either charter or scenic flights to smaller airports in New Zealand on the East Coast and Northland Region.
Flying to Gisborne, Great Barrier Island, Hamilton, Whangarei, Tauranga, and Whitianga, Sun Air is a great option if you want to avoid a long haul in the car.
Salt Air offers guided tours and island escapes in the subtropical region of Northland in the far north of New Zealand.
With a choice of helicopter or small aeroplane, these scenic flights and tours fly to a number of places, from Kerikeri to Cape Reinga, to a cultural tour and landing to the iconic Hole in the Rock in the beautiful Bay of Islands.
This beautiful air travel takes you on a scenic flight over the world-renowned Milford Sound in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Fiordland National Park.
With a range of scenic flight paths to choose, from Aoraki Mount Cook, to Queenstown, to Milford Sound, this scenic flight is one that will quite literally take your breath away.
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