Ansett New Zealand was an airline serving the New Zealand domestic market between 1987 and 2001. It was a subsidiary of Ansett Transport Industries. In order to comply with regulatory requirements relating to the acquisition of Ansett Transit Industries by Air New Zealand, Ansett New Zealand was sold to News Corporation and later rebranded as Tasman Pacific Airlines in 2000, operating as a Qantas franchise under the Qantas New Zealand brand. In 2001 it was placed in receivership and later liquidated.
History
Ansett New Zealand was the result of Ansett Transport Industries's desire to expand into the New Zealand market, enabled by the relaxation of regulation in the aviation sector by the fourth Labour government.Don't knock Air New Zealand Stuff 5 September 2007 Ansett Transport Industries formed a partnership with two New Zealand companies, Brierley Investments and Newmans Coach Lines, the latter being a tourism company which owned the unprofitable Newmans Air. Newmans Air formed the basis for a new expanded airline, the company being Bilmans Management Limited, operating as Ansett New Zealand. Half its shares (the maximum allowed for a foreign company) were owned by Ansett, with Brierley holding 27.5% and Newmans holding 22.5%.A decade of Ansett New Zealand Australian Aviation issue 132 September 1997 page 74 Subsequently, regulations were relaxed still further, and Ansett took full ownership in April 1988.Ansett buys out NZ partners Canberra Times 16 April 1988 page 27
Operations started on 25 July 1987 with three Boeing 737-100 aircraft between Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.Ansett Shows Colours Australian Transport February 1987 page 18Ansett Runs Amok Australian Transport July 1987 page 24 The ex Newmans Air de Havilland Canada Dash 7s were used on tourist routes between Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch, Mount Cook and Queenstown. The old and noisy Boeing 737 aircraft were replaced with new and quieter British Aerospace 146s known as "Whisper Jets". Routes were extended to Dunedin and Invercargill. Also the old Dash-7s were replaced with the much more fuel efficient Bombardier Dash 8s. By the year 2000 the fleet had risen to eight BAE-146s (one a quick change version to convert to freighter operations) and five Dash-8s.
During the early 1990s, Ansett New Zealand created television advertisements emphasising the airline's customer service. One advert featured a businessman (played by Peter Hambleton) who accidentally brought his cat Fluffy to the airport; the Ansett gate agent subsequently takes Fluffy off the businessman's hands and arranges for the cat to be taken home. The advert was voted the best by public vote in the 1992 Fair Go Ad Awards.
In 1996, Air New Zealand made a bid to purchase half of Ansett Transport Industries, after an open skies agreement for the former to fly within Australia was abruptly withdrawn. Anti-monopoly regulators did not want Air New Zealand to gain control of Ansett's operations in New Zealand, however, and it was therefore required that the two Ansett airlines would be separated. Ansett would be owned by Air New Zealand, while Ansett New Zealand would be owned by News Corporation. The transaction was concluded on 1 October 1996.ANZ Ansett marriage now official Australian Aviation issue 123 November 1996 page 20
In June 2000, News Corporation sold Ansett New Zealand to Tasman Pacific Airlines that was owned by a group of investors including Alan Gibbs, Cliff Skeggs and RM Williams.Qantas holds Ansett buyout key New Zealand Herald 30 June 2000 Shortly afterwards, the company became a franchise of Qantas, operating under the Qantas New Zealand brand.Franchise to Ansett New Zealand Qantas 26 June 2000Qantas franchise to freshen Ansett NZ New Zealand Herald 30 June 2000Qantas: Recent Developments and Preliminary Monthly Traffic and Capacity Statistics, May 2000 Qantas In April 2001 the airline was placed in receivership. With Qantas terminating the franchisee agreement and repossessing its aircraft, Qantas New Zealand was liquidated.Qantas NZ placed into receivership Australian Financial Review 23 April 2001New Zealand Aviation News Vol XXIV No 4, May 2001Tasman Pacific into receivership - Qantas & Freedom launch NZ domestic services Australian Aviation issue 173 June 2001 page 81 Qantas would return to the New Zealand domestic market but not through a franchise agreement.To Launch Domestic Service Qantas 1 May 2001
Fleet 12 British Aerospace 146s; including 2 -200, 1 200QC, 6 300, and 3 -300A 2 Dash 7 (inherited from Newmans Air) 9 Bombardier Dash 8; including 7 -102 and 2 -311 5 Boeing 737–130 5 Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante (operated by Rex Aviation as Tranzair and later Ansett regional scheduled services, ended by 1999 and replaced by Jetstream) 5 BAe Jetstream 32EP (operated by Rex Aviation and Air National as Ansett regional)
Destinations Prior to the suspension of domestic passenger services, the airline operated services to the following destinations:Ansett NZ route map Pinterest
Destination Country IATA ICAO AirportAucklandNew ZealandAKLNZAAAuckland AirportBlenheimBHENZWBWoodbourne AirportChristchurchCHCNZCHChristchurch AirportDunedinDUDNZDNDunedin AirportHamiltonHLZNZHNHamilton AirportInvercargillIVCNZNVInvercargill AirportMilford SoundMFNNZMFMilford Sound AirportNelsonNSNNZNSNelson AirportPalmerston NorthPMR NZPM Palmerston North AirportQueenstownZQNNZQNQueenstown AirportRotoruaROTNZRORotorua AirportTe AnauTEUNZMOTe Anau AirportWhakatāneWHKNZWKWhakatāne AirportWhangāreiWRENZWRWhangarei AirportWellingtonWLGNZWNWellington Airport
Accidents Ansett New Zealand's first accident involved a BAe 146–200 that ran off the end of the runway at Queenstown Airport on 28 April 1990. However the aircraft only suffered minor damage. Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 was an Ansett New Zealand scheduled passenger transport flight from Auckland to Palmerston North. On 9 June 1995, the Dash 8 aircraft flying this route crashed into the Tararua Ranges, 16 km east of Palmerston North Airport. During an instrument approach in inclement weather, the plane's right landing gear jammed in the retracted position and the pilots failed to monitor the flight path while carrying out the alternate gear extension procedure. The flight attendant and three passengers died as a result of the crash.
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