Air Chathams

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Air Chathams
Saab 340 at Auckland Airport in 2021
IATA ICAO Call sign
3C CVA[1] CHATHAM[2]
Founded1984
Operating bases
Auckland Airport,
Chatham Islands Airport
Fleet size10
Destinations9
HeadquartersChatham Islands
Key peopleCraig Emeny (founder & director)
Duane Emeny (CEO)
Websitewww.airchathams.co.nz
Air Chathams Convair 580 at Chatham Islands / Tuuta Airport in 2003

Air Chathams Limited is an airline based in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand.[3] It was established in 1984 and operates scheduled passenger services between the Chatham Islands and mainland New Zealand, along with routes between Auckland and Whakatāne, Auckland and Kāpiti Coast and Auckland and Whanganui. Its main base is Chatham Islands / Tuuta Airport.[4]

History

The airline was set up by Craig and Marion Emeny in 1984, and transports freight and people to and from mainland New Zealand.[5][6]

Craig Emeny first moved to the Chatham Islands as a pilot to operate services primarily between Chatham and Pitt Islands. At that time the lack of regularity in flights to mainland New Zealand saw him start his own airline and begin operations to mainland airports.[7] Air Chathams had the advantage of being based on the Chatham Islands and were able to avoid many of the weather-related issues that other airlines had operating to the Chathams. As the freight and passenger market developed, Air Chathams grew from operating small piston-engine aircraft to 50-seat two-engine turbo-prop aircraft.[8]

In 2014 Air Chathams established a flight operations and maintenance base at Auckland Airport. From this base the company provides maintenance services both internally and to other airlines under contract. A fully owned subsidiary (Chathams Pacific) operated scheduled flights in Tonga until March 2013. The introduction of Chinese (PRC) aid financed aircraft and training facilities at the request of the Tongan government introduced competition to Chathams Pacific's routes.[9] Air Chathams' management decided not to compete with the new airline, Real Tonga, and ceased all Tongan operations.[10] With Air New Zealand regional route cut-backs, Air Chathams began serving the Auckland to Whakatāne route on 29 April 2015,[11] Auckland to Whanganui on 31 July 2016[12] and Auckland to Kāpiti Coast from 20 August 2018.[13]

In mid-2018, the airline announced that it was looking to re-establish flights between Auckland and Norfolk Island.[14] Air Chathams announced in April 2019 they would be taking over a fourth Air NZ route by starting a weekly service from Auckland to Norfolk Island on 6 September 2019.[15]

Destinations

Air Chathams destinations

This is a list of destinations served by Air Chathams, excluding subsidiaries.[16]

Hub
Future destination
Terminated destination
Charter
Destination Country IATA ICAO Airport
Auckland New Zealand AKL NZAA Auckland Airport
Blenheim New Zealand BHE NZWB Blenheim Airport
Chatham Island New Zealand CHT NZCI Chatham Islands / Tuuta Airport [Base]
Christchurch New Zealand CHC NZCH Christchurch Airport
Kāpiti Coast New Zealand PPQ NZPP Kapiti Coast Airport (ending 31 July 2026)[17]
Gisborne New Zealand GIS NZGS Gisborne Airport
Napier New Zealand NPE NZNR Hawkes Bay Airport
Pitt Island New Zealand NZPT Pitt Island Airport (on demand)
Wellington New Zealand WLG NZWN Wellington Airport
Whakatāne New Zealand WHK NZWK Whakatāne Airport
Whanganui New Zealand WAG NZWU Whanganui Airport
Norfolk Island Australia NLK YSNF Norfolk Island Airport[18]

Chathams Pacific destinations

This is a list of destinations formerly served by Chathams Pacific, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Chathams that operated between 2007 and 2013.

Terminated destination
Destination Country IATA ICAO Airport
'Eua Tonga EUA NFTE 'Eua Airport
Ha'apai Tonga HPA NFTL Salote Pilolevu Airport
Niuafoʻou Tonga NFO NFTO Niuafoʻou Airport
Niuatoputapu Tonga NTT NFTP Niuatoputapu Airport
Tongatapu Tonga TBU NFTF Fuaʻamotu International Airport
Vava'u Tonga VAV NFTV Vava'u International Airport

Interline agreements

Fleet

The single Air Chathams owned Aero Commander, at Auckland Airport
Air Chathams ATR72-500
Two of the Air Chathams Saab 340s

As of January 2025, the fleet includes the following aircraft:[20]

Air Chathams fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Aero Commander 690A 1 — 4 Use only for aerial mapping and survey duties.
ATR 72-500 2 68 (as of August 2025) [21]
Cessna 206 1 — 5 Only flying between Chatham Island and Pitt Island.
Saab 340A 5 — 34 (as of August 2025) [21]
Saab 340B 1 — 36 (as of August 2025) [21]
Total 10

The ATR and Saab 340s are used across the company's operations as well as contract freight services and charter work. The Cessna 206 provides a non-regular service between Chatham Island and Pitt Island and is on standby for search and rescue or local flights around the Chatham Islands.[22] The airline's Aero Commander 690 has been wet-leased out for aerial mapping and survey duties.[23]

Air Chathams acquired two ATR 72-500s from Mount Cook Airline in 2018. They run flights for Tauck Tours in summer, and assist with peak traffic to Whanganui and the Chatham Islands during winter.[24][20] They are also used for flights to Te Anau. On 21 November 2024 an ATR72-500 flew from Auckland to Invercargill and return for a private charter, the longest non-stop flights by an ATR carrying passengers in New Zealand.

Air Chathams historic fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Convair 580 5[25] 1984 2021 ZK-KFL operated as a freighter aircraft
Fairchild Metro III 3 1994 2024 All three were sold to Australia
Douglas DC-3 1 2015 2025
Air Chathams Convair 580 at Wellington Airport on 21 May 2007
Air Chathams' NAC-livered DC-3 parked at their ramp at Auckland Airport
The Air Chathams CV-580 'Toroa Freighter' at Auckland Airport
Air Chathams Fairchild Metroliner ZK-CID

References

  1. Not an IATA allocation-issued for domestic use by Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.
  2. "Airline operator callsigns" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand. 17 January 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2007.
  3. "Contact Us Archived 9 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine." Air Chathams. Retrieved on 29 November 2011. "Address:North Road, Te One, Chatham Islands, 8942"
  4. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 55.
  5. "Air Chathams – Growing beyond the Chathams". 10 January 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  6. Beneath South Pacific Skies Airliner World November 2024. pp. 70–75
  7. "Come fly with me, a look at New Zealand's smaller airlines: Air Chathams". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  8. "About Us – Air Chathams". Air Chathams. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  9. "How China's gift of an aeroplane put Tonga, New Zealand at odds". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 June 2014.
  10. "Chathams Pacific withdraws, Real Tonga takes off". Islands Business. February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  11. Georgia Nelson. "Flight relief for Whakatane". newstalkzb.co.nz.
  12. "Air Chathams steps in as Air NZ pulls out of Whanganui". Stuff. 30 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  13. "Air Chathams will pick up Paraparaumu to Auckland flight route". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  14. "Air Chathams may fly to Norfolk direct from Auckland". RNZ. 12 April 2018.
  15. "Air Chathams to begin weekly service from Auckland to Norfolk Island". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  16. "Destinations for Air Chathams".
  17. Wong, Justin (5 June 2026). "Air Chathams cuts Kāpiti Coast flights to Auckland". The Post.
  18. Bradley, Grant (8 April 2019). "Air Chathams to begin weekly service from Auckland to Norfolk Island". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  19. "Air New Zealand and Air Chathams interline partnership takes off strengthening regional connectivity - Media releases". Air New Zealand. 16 December 2025.
  20. "3rd Level New Zealand: Air Chathams – Growing beyond the Chathams". 10 January 2016.
  21. "Global Airline Guide 2025 – Air Chathams". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 69.
  22. "Our Aircraft". Air Chathams. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  23. L, Steve (7 March 2017). "3rd Level New Zealand: The News on the Convairs and Aero Commander..." 3rd Level New Zealand. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  24. L, Steve (14 January 2019). "A picture speaks a 1000 words..." 3rd Level New Zealand. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  25. "3rd Level New Zealand: In the Climb". 8 June 2019.

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