Steward Island Flights: The Small However Cherished Airline Connecting Stewart Island To The World

New Zealand regional airline Stewart Island Flights (WK) just lately has been voted the ‘most liked’ airline in New Zealand by Australian international trade firm S Cash. The small however very important airline connects Stewart Island, to the mainland, at Invercargill Airport (IVC). The variety of reactions and hashtags on social media determined the winners. Northern Ontario’s Bearskin Airways gained the worldwide spot. Nonetheless, Stewart Island Flights has settled for New Zealand’s ‘most liked.’

The regional airline operates a number of each day flights throughout the Foveaux Strait, which separates the South Island of New Zealand from Stewart Island, a 16-mile (26km) stretch of water famend for its tough seas. Oban, the principle settlement on Stewart Island, is residence to simply over 400 folks, with the island being a well-liked vacationer hotspot for nature, mountain climbing, searching, and fishing.

Connecting Invercargill (IVC) to Ryans Creek Aerodrome (SZS)

Stewart Island flights function a modest fleet of 4 plane: two Britten Norman Islanders, one Piper Cherokee Six, and a Cessna 185. Britten Norman Islanders transports most passengers between the mainland and Stewart Island’s aerodrome at Ryans Creek.

When touring with the airline, its household really feel begins at check-in, the place the pilots function the reservation middle, check-in, boarding, after which ultimately fly the plane. Its Britten Normans, which might seat ten, together with the pilot, shuttle throughout Foveaux Strait to Ryan’s Creek, the place passengers are met by its floor crew, transporting passengers by van to its workplace in Oban, which additionally operates because the island’s publish workplace.

16 flights each day

The small however mighty airline operates 16 return companies each day throughout Foveaux Strait. The airline has a workers of 20 and has seen the enterprise go from power to power post-pandemic. Stewart Island Flight’s fleet of 4 will quickly enhance to 5 as one other Britten Norman is poised to hitch the airline. As reported by Stuff Journey, CEO and Chief Pilot Leon Bex commented on the airline’s development:

“We’re doing kind of file numbers in the mean time, even simply after the primary lockdown (April 2020), we’ve been tremendous busy.”

Picture: Stewart Island Flights

Kiwi’s exploring domestically.

With New Zealand’s borders firmly shut within the peak of the pandemic, Kiwis seemed to native locations and to tick off bucket listing locations, which for New Zealanders, Stewart Island at all times stays excessive. Bax additional famous:

“Kiwis have been travelling inside New Zealand, however they’re going to bucket listing locations, and locations like the traditional vacationer routes of Queenstown and Te Anau have been actually struggling, and for some motive, everybody needed to go to Stewart Island, and we have been flat out.”

Picture: Aaron Bailey / Easy Flying

No growth plans

Aside from a fifth plane becoming a member of the fleet, Bax famous that the airline has ‘no plans in any respect’ for growth. Commenting that the airline is content material with what it’s doing and doing it proper. The airline, which maintains the Invercargill – Stewart Island route, does supply constitution flights to Queenstown and Milford Sound, that are ‘uncommon.’ The airline additionally gives constitution and mountain climbing connections throughout Stewart Island, together with seashore landings to a number of areas, offering transport for avid hikers and hunters.

Sources: Stuff.co.nz