Mount Cook Airline

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Mount Cook Airline is a regional airline based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is wholly owned by Air New Zealand and operates regional services under the Air New Zealand Link brand. Its main base is Christchurch International Airport ^[1].

Contents 1 Code data 2 History 3 Services 4 Fleet 5 References

[edit] Code data

• IATA Code: NM
• ICAO Code: NZM
• Callsign: Mount Cook ^[2]

[edit] History

The airline was established and started operations in 1920 as New Zealand Aero Transport Company, at Timaru. It subsequently operated under a variety of names until the start of scheduled services on 6 November 1961, when the present name was adopted ^[1].

Founded by Sir Henry Wigley with a single Auster, (now preserved at Queenstown), the airline was originally aimed at taking tourists to skifields and glaciers in ski equipped light planes; a role still performed by Cessna 185s and Pilatus Porters. The airline expanded into a local network, with Douglas DC-3s, Grumman Widgeons and later Hawker Siddeley 748s. {{fact{{

The airline's symbol is the Mount Cook Lily, which prior to the integration with the Air New Zealand link brand was displayed on the tails of its aeroplanes. Air New Zealand purchased half of the airline in the late 1980s. It purchased the remainder in the mid 1990s. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Services

^{[citation needed]}

• Auckland - Napier
• Auckland - Palmerston North
• Christchurch - Dunedin
• Christchurch - Hamilton
• Christchurch - Invercargill
• Christchurch - Palmerston North
• Christchurch - Rototua
• Christchurch - Queenstown
• Christchurch - Wellington
• Hamilton - Palmerston North
• Wellington - Hamilton
• Wellington - Queenstown (direct, seasonal)

[edit] Fleet

The Mount Cook Airline fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2006) ^[3] :

• 11 ATR 72-500

The airline previously operated an ex Origin Pacific ATR 72, after Origin Pacific could no longer afford to operate it.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Flight International 12-18 April 2005
2. ^ Airline Codes November 2006
3. ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006

Airlines of New Zealand

Scheduled passenger services Air Chathams | Air New Zealand (including Air Nelson, Eagle Airways, Freedom Air, and Mount Cook Airline) | Air West Coast | Air2there | Aspiring Air | Capital Air | Great Barrier Airlines | Kiwi Pacific Airlines | Pacific Blue | JetConnect (Qantas) | Mountain Air | Sounds Air | Stewart Island Flights Cargo, charter, and scenic Air Fiordland | Air Freight NZ | Air National | Air Post | Airwork | Skylink | Vincent Aviation Historic Ansett New Zealand | Kiwi International | Union Airways | NAC | SPANZ | TEAL | Origin Pacific Airways