Sounds Air

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File:Sounds Air Aircraft In Wellington.jpg
A Sounds Air Cessna Caravan at Wellington International Airport in 2009
File:Cessna 208 (Sounds Air) Picton-Koromiko airfield.jpg
Sounds Air Grand Caravan landing at Picton in 2006.
File:Sounds Air Caravan at Christchurch Airport.jpg
A Sounds Air Grand Caravan at Christchurch Airport in 2014.
File:Sounds Air PC-12 ZK-PLV at WLG (32929247345).jpg
One of Sounds Air's PC12's (ZK-PLV) at Wellington International.

Sounds Air is a New Zealand airline based in Marlborough.[1] The airline was founded in 1986 by Cliff and Diane Marchant to provide low cost flights to the Marlborough Sounds.[2] The airline's head office as well as its Sounds Aero Maintenance division is based at Omaka aerodrome.[3]

History

From a single Cessna Caravan operating one route across the Cook Strait, 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.[4] 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.[5]

Services

Sounds Air operates scheduled flights between Wellington and Picton, Nelson, and Blenheim.[6][7] Scheduled flights are also available between Blenheim and Christchurch,[8][9]Wānaka and Paraparaumu. Nelson also has flights to Paraparaumu.[10] Sounds Air formerly served Kaikoura, Napier, Taupo, Westport and Whanganui[11] from Wellington, Napier from Blenheim and Kāpiti Coast from Picton.[12] A service to Masterton was being considered from Wellington, however no such service eventuated, because the town wanted the link to Auckland reinstated instead.[13] In addition to scheduled flights Sounds Air offers scenic flights over the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman National Park.[14] The airline started temporary services to Kaikoura from Christchurch and Blenheim on 21 November 2016 following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.[15] The Kaikoura to Christchurch flights ceased from 27 January 2017[16] followed by the Blenheim flights on 29 December 2017. From this date onwards Kaikoura will become a charter route only.[17] Sounds Air commenced Christchurch to Wānaka another former Air New Zealand route on 2 November 2020.[18]

On 18 October 2024 Sounds Air decided to pull out of Westport because of high costs and lack of support from the government.[19] A month later Sounds Air announced they were pulling out of Taupo also because of high costs.[20] Originair has since stepped in to serve both Taupo and Westport from Wellington.

Destinations

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

City IATA Airport Status
Blenheim BHE Woodbourne Airport Current
Christchurch CHC Christchurch International Airport Current
Kaikōura KBZ Kaikoura Airport Terminated
Napier NPE Hawke's Bay Airport[21] Terminated
Nelson NSN Nelson Airport Current
Paraparaumu PPQ Kapiti Coast Airport Current
Picton PCN Picton Aerodrome Current
Taupō TUO Taupō Airport Terminated
Wānaka WKA Wānaka Airport Current[18]
Wellington WLG Wellington International Airport Current
Westport WSZ Westport Airport Terminated
Whanganui WAG Whanganui Airport Terminated

Fleet

As of May 2024 the Sounds Air fleet consists of ten aircraft.[23] 6 Pilatus PC-12's which are a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop. They incorporate a large aft cargo door in addition to the main passenger door. It is configured in a 9 seat commuter configuration with 1-1 arrangement. And 4 Cessna 208 Caravan's which are strutted, high wing aircraft with an unpressurized cabin. They are powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A tractor turboprop and have a fixed tricycle landing gear. 2 of the 4 are 208's which seat 12 people in a 1–2 configuration with a 2 person bench seat in the aft section. The 2 others are the stretched 208B's which seat 13 people in a 1–2 configuration.

Aircraft Total Orders Passengers
(Economy)
Cessna 208 Caravan
4
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Pilatus PC-12
6
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Total 10

Future

On 28 September 2020, the airline signed a letter of intent to Swedish company Heart Aerospace to purchase their ES-19 electric aircraft once it comes available, scheduled for 2026. The airline hopes the ES-19 will be able to make them the first regional airline to offer Zero-emissions flights.[24] In 2022 this was upgraded to the ES-30.[25]

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.[26]
  • 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.[27]

References

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  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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