Southern flightseeing operation spreads its wings

A new flightseeing aircraft that delivers sustainable practice innovation and increased passenger comfort is the final purchase in a six-year fleet upgrade for a one of New Zealand’s largest scenic flight airlines.

Central South Island based Air Safaris has invested $800,000 in New Zealand’s first brand new turbocharged Gippsland GA8 Airvan, an eight-seat Australian-built aircraft.

The company chose the Airvan because of its environmentally-friendly innovations and performance advances, while at the same time achieving the very highest levels of comfort and visibility for its sightseeing customers.

The inaugural commercial flight was on Monday (9 November) and the 50-minute return flight between Lake Tekapo and Franz Josef Glacier over some of the South Island’s most striking scenery drew an “Awesome!” verdict from the seven passengers on board.

The Airvan is the first turbo charged version to feature the quiet three-bladed propeller and engine combination which significantly reduces noise emissions. The aircraft also provides more leg room and better passenger viewing than the smaller Cessna aircraft which is the current aircraft of choice for flightseeing.

Air Safaris Director Tim Rayward said the purchase of the Airvan signaled the end of Air Safaris’ $6 million, six-year extensive fleet upgrade during which it replaced its smaller Cessna aircraft with new state-of-the-art aircraft.

“Our aim is to become more sustainable in terms of environment, social responsibilities and financial viability. A modern, more efficient fleet means we can deliver a better service to our customers as well as reducing our overheads and our impact on the environment.

“That’s why we chose the Airvan. It’s a superb aircraft for scenic flights – it has large convex windows for viewing, a spacious cabin, generous payload, and excellent reliability and performance,” he said.

Mr Rayward strongly believes that flying is the one way people can get to see the majesty of New Zealand’s national parks without a lasting effect on the environment.

“We live and work in some of the most pristine scenery in the world so it’s really important to us to continually find ways to minimise our footprint and the effect of our aircraft noise.

“As well as ongoing investments in newer larger aircraft, we also plan to retro-fit our other aircraft with the new technology propellers,” said Mr Rayward.

Air Safaris has operated scenic flights over some of New Zealand’s most stunning scenery since 1970 and has become an industry leader in introducing new and larger aircraft such as the turboprop Pilatus Turbo Porter, the twin turboprop Nomads, the turboprop Cessna Grand Caravan and the Gippsland Airvans.

Its scenic flights have proven so popular that the company has grown from a single aircraft operation to a 10-strong fleet in the last 39 years and now has its own airports at Lake Tekapo and Franz Josef Glacier, and a base at Glentanner Park near Aoraki Mount Cook.

For more information about Air Safaris visit www.airsafaris.co.nz.

More about Air Safaris
Air Safaris is owned and operated by Richard and Tim Rayward, one of the region’s pioneering aviation families.

The company operates charter services throughout the South Island and flies to North Island destinations on request. It specializes in charter flights between Christchurch, Mount Cook, and Queenstown, and excursions to Milford Sound. Its pilots have extensive experience flying in alpine territory and give a full in-flight commentary.

Air Safaris’ most popular flight is between Lake Tekapo and Franz Josef Glacier. Highlights include fantastic views of the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and Westland National Parks, Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, and some of New Zealand’s biggest mountains including Aoraki Mount Cook. It also includes stunning views of turquoise-coloured glacial lakes, lush coastal rain forests, high country sheep stations, and ancient glacial deposits.

The fleet consists of four Gippsland Airvans, one Cessna Grand Caravan, three Nomad N24A, one Cessna 206, and one Cessna 180. The four Gippsland aircraft are ideal for smaller groups and complement the larger aircraft of the company’s fleet – the 13-passenger Grand Caravan and 15-passenger Nomads.

Every Air Safaris aircraft is configured so that every seat has its own window in order to maximize comfort and viewing opportunities.