Bay of Islands Airport is excited to announce an additional, larger aircraft service to the airport
starting today.
The Air New Zealand ATR72 aircraft touched down at 9:30am and will be used on one return
service between Auckland and Kerikeri per week.
Far North Holdings Ltd owns the Bay of Islands Airport and manages Kaitāia and Kaikohe
Airports on behalf of the Far North District Council.
FNHL CEO Andy Nock said the airport was excited to receive the larger Air New Zealand ATR
aircraft, which would further cement Northland’s connections with the rest of the country.
“Our airports team has worked extensively with Air New Zealand to ensure the airport’s readiness
for this new service,” Nock said.
“This caps off a pleasing summer for Bay of Islands Airport with record passenger and flight
numbers.”
Until now, Air New Zealand had exclusively used the 50-seater Q300 aircraft on all its services to
Kerikeri.
With the introduction of the ATR72, the larger aircraft will add up to 18 more seats with capacity for
up to 68 passengers.
Air New Zealand Regional Affairs Manager Jason Dawson said using the two aircraft types on its
Kerikeri services would help with reliability.
He said having the ATR in the schedule meant having another option should a Q300 service be
disrupted.
“We know any disruption to travel plans is incredibly frustrating for our customers,” Dawson said.
“While weather is the most common reason we have to cancel our flights, we have been looking
closely at what we can control to build more resilience into our service.
“Having our crew trained to operate the ATR in and out of Kerikeri means if there are any issues
with a Q300, there is the potential for the ATR to be used as an alternative, if one is available to
deploy.”
Dawson said the larger aircraft would help get more customers to where they needed to
be in the event Air New Zealand needed to cancel a service and put on a recovery flight.
Plane spotters at Bay of Islands Airport can tell the difference between the Q300 and ATR by looking at the wheels, with the landing gear mounted in the wings of the Q300 and located in the body of the ATR.
