Union Airways of N.Z. Ltd

Union Airways of N.Z. Ltd

A Union Airways de Havilland DH.86 Express flies over Dunedin.
Founded 5 January 1936
Ceased operations 1947

Union Airways of N.Z. Ltd was New Zealand's first major airline.

History

The Union Steam Ship Company took shares in East Coast Airways in 1934 and in Cook Strait Airways in 1935, and later that year amalgamated these into a new national airway, on 5 January 1936, opening services between Palmerston North and Dunedin via Blenheim and Christchurch. Equipped with a variety of deHavilland types and later Lockheed Electras, in June 1937 a twice-daily service, between Auckland and Wellington, was started. By 1939, the company was operating multi-hop flights from Auckland to Dunedin, Palmerston North to Christchurch, Palmerston North to Gisborne, and Auckland to Gisborne. Union had also been instrumental in the establishment of Australian National Airways and TEAL. After the war, Union Airways acquired Lockheed Lodestars. In 1947, the government nationalised Union Airways and formed NAC.


Licence

In March 1935 Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand applied to New Zealand's Transport Coordination Board for a licence[note 1] to operate a national trunk airline service together with three other companies: New Zealand Airlines of New Plymouth; Dominion Airways of Auckland (together they were Great Pacific Airways); and New Zealand Airways of Dunedin.[1] The facilities at Rongotai being inadequate it was proposed the service would operate between Auckland, Milson (Palmerston North), Blenheim, Christchurch and Dunedin. In May having won a first licence to fly between Palmerston North and Dunedin (calling at Blenheim and Christchurch) Union Steam formed Union Airways Limited keeping for itself 600 of the planned issue of 1000 shares.[2] The new Great Pacific Airways covered the rest of the North Island though, again, not Wellington and shared the South Island calls. There were strong protests from the Wellington resident Coordination Board member. Licence applications for other routes from other sponsors were firmly opposed by Union Steam.

De Havilland DH86 Express Karoro

Aircraft

It was widely reported Union Airways had purchased three four-engined De Havilland DH86 airliners which could carry from ten to fourteen passengers together with ample mail and baggage space.[3] Delivery would take place in September and October and they would enter service in December 1935[4] cruising at 145 to 150 miles per hour.

A Miles Falcon single engined monoplane designed to carry a pilot and two passengers was bought in Reading, Berkshire in August for service or, in emergency, air taxi work. It was to be fitted with the larger 6-cylinder 200 h.p. Gipsy engine used in the new DH86 aircraft.[5]

In November and December 1935 the new aircraft were assembled in a new hangar at Wigram Aerodrome. Their names were reported to be Karoro, Kotuku and Korimako

Australia

At the same time Union Airways let it be known they planned a further service to Australia which they considered a natural development for a shipping company.[6]

Battle of Routes

Blocking action

Meanwhile, through the Transport Coordination Board, Union Airways with its commercially strong backing blocked and continued to block the other airline, Great Pacific, from landing at Palmerston North leaving the Gisborne-Hawkes Bay feeder airlines with a restricted service. Their passengers would have to travel north by rail. Union Airways under their postal contract collected mail from the overnight Limited Express train at Palmerston and took it to the South Island and required no air link to Auckland.[7] The board noted the most important trunk route would be between Palmerston North and Dunedin and "caused perturbation" in the North Island.[8] Later newspapers produced articles about the working time saved by an Auckland businessman heading for Christchurch and travelling to Palmerston North by overnight train when compared with a flight originating in Auckland the following morning.[9]

New Zealand Airways, operators of a scheduled service from Wellington to Blenheim, lost their licence to the route to Cook Strait Airways and were reduced to taxi work. In response to questions put by Mr Walter Nash in parliament the Minister responded that while New Zealand Airways had talked of raising a large sum of new capital and replacing obsolete aircraft "the backing of Union Airways was very substantial". The decision had been made by the board said Mr Coates.[10]

Government subsidy

The general public seemed unaware that no other country had commercial flying services without government subsidy. Only in United States were military and civil aviation clearly separated though civil was still subsidised. For their Brisbane-Darwin-Singapore service operating the same DH86 aircraft QANTAS Empire Airways received a greater subsidy per mile than proposed for the trunk route. The board had been directed to take into account the value of the usefulness of all the proposed airways facilities for auxiliary defence purposes. [11]

Cook Strait Airways

Wellington Blenheim Nelson Two De Havilland DH89

Scheduled services

The first scheduled flight was from Dunedin to Christchurch on Wednesday 15 January 1936 and on it were: the mayor of Dunedin, Union Company's Dunedin manager, New Zealand Shipping Company's Dunedin manager, two officials of the Dunedin Aero Club and two other representatives of commercially interested parties.[12]


All aircraft below are in National Airways Corporation livery
De Havilland DH89 Dominie at Luggate
Lockheed Electra in MOTAT
Lockheed Lodestar

See also

Note

  1. ↑ During the Second World War it was necessary to purchase a licence at the Post Office to take to your preferred retailer to buy a new pair of gumboots

References

  1. ↑ Air Transport, National Service Auckland Star, page 8, 21 March 1935
  2. ↑ Company Registered Northern Advocate 3 May 1935, page 10
  3. ↑ Airliners for Trunk Service Evening Post 22 July 1935, page 7
  4. ↑ Planes Bought Auckland Star 22 July 1935, page 8
  5. ↑ Another Aeroplane Evening Post 7 August 1935, page 9
  6. ↑ Certain to Come, Evening Post 25 July 1935, page 9
  7. ↑ Trunk Air Services, free development Evening Post, 8 August 1935, page 10
  8. ↑ Air Service the Trunk Route Evening Post 19 August 1935
  9. ↑ Most Important Air Line Christchurch Press 19 September 1935, page 6 (supplement)
  10. ↑ Air Services Licenceses Christchurch Press, 12 October 1935, page 16
  11. ↑ Commercial Flying Subsidies Necessary Evening Post 22 August 1935 page 10
  12. ↑ Karoro's Passengers Guests and Officials Evening Post 15 january 1936, page 10


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