Only one Jetstream 31 is operated in the first quarter of 2000.
TASMAN EMPIRE AIRWAYS, LTD. (TEAL): New Zealand (1940-1965). In December 1937, the Imperial Airways, Ltd. Shorts S23 Centaurus makes a survey visit from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, during which 50,000 citizens offer greetings. Following discussions held in the wake of the visit, representatives of New Zealand, Australia, and the U. K. sign the papers on April 3, 1940 establishing this jointly owned airline.
Capital shareholding is divided between the government of New Zealand (50%), Australia (30%0 and the U. K. (20%) and it is agreed that the new entrant should receive five S23 flying boats. Only two will be delivered before World War II cuts off deliveries.
Later in the month, the first S23 arrives; christened Aotearoa, it is employed to inaugurate weekly return service across the Tasman Sea from Auckland to Sydney, on April 30. A second S23, the Awarua, is placed in service on the Sydney route in early August and frequency is increased to thrice weekly.
The Sydney frequency is increased to four per week after the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, as the flying boats become the only commercial passenger service between New Zealand and Australia.
During 1942-1945, the two S23s not only maintain their Tasman Sea operation (the 1,000th crossing is made in June 1944), but conduct military-oriented charter flights as far afield as Noumea, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and even Hawaii.
The first S25 Sandringham is delivered on July 17, 1946; christened Tasman, it is placed on the Sydney route in August.
Enplanements for the year reach 11,600.
By the fall of 1947, three additional S25s (Australia, New Zealand, and Auckland) have been delivered and placed in service. The Aotearoa completes its 442nd Sydney-Auckland flight on October 29 and along with the Awarua, is retired.
Bookings climb to 18,700.
Trouble with the Pratt & Whitney engines requires the withdrawal of the four S25s from service between February 23 and June 17, 1948; the gap is filled by Douglas DC-4s leased from Trans-Australian Airlines (Pty.), Ltd.
Enplanements accelerate to 24,500.
The carrier’s first Shorts S45 Solent is christened Aotearoa II by Princess Elizabeth at Belfast ceremonies on February 26, 1949; the first Solent to be delivered, however, is the Ararangi, which arrives at Auckland on September 29. S45 Auckland-Sydney service begins on November 14. As three additional Solents joint the fleet (the Aotearoa II, Awatere, Aranui), the last S25 Tasman Sea flight is made by the New Zealand on December 19; thereafter, the four Sandringhams are retired.
Traffic dips to 22,600 passengers carried.
The Auckland-Fiji service of New Zealand National Airways
Corporation, Ltd. is taken over on June 6, 1950. Twice-weekly Wellington-Sydney flights are started by the Ararangi on October 3. Quarterly S45 operations are begun on December 15 over a route Auckland and Wellington-Chatham Islands.
The year’s bookings grow to 32,434.
On March 26, 1951, a Solent arrives at Quintero, Chile, ending an 8,500-mile pioneering flight over a future transpacific route. Employing DC-4s leased from Qantas Empire Airways (Pty.), Ltd., the carrier initiates weekly Christchurch-Melbourne service on June 28. A second S45 arrives at the same destination on April 19, having traced the same route. The Fiji-Lambasa return service launched in 1950 is withdrawn on December 11. On December 27, new monthly Solent service is extended from Auckland to Fiji, Cook Islands, and Tahiti—the Coral Route.
Boardings soar to 42,593.
The Coral Route frequency is advanced to every two weeks on May 26, 1952; Samoa is added as a stop on that network on October 14.
Enplanements drop to 37,141.
On August 1, 1953, the Solent route to Fiji is extended to Tonga. In October, the British government drops out of the TEAL consortium, leaving the Australian government to increase its shareholding by 20%.
Simultaneously, British Commonwealth Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. (BCPAL) is liquidated; in exchange for its 30% share, TEAL is given by Qantas Empire Airways (Pty.), Ltd. the defunct carrier’s three Douglas DC-6s.
The year’s bookings dip to 35,910.
The three ex-BCPAL DC-6s are delivered in March 1954 and are christened Arabia, Arawhata, and Aotearoa III. On April 7, the S45 Ararangi flies the final Wellington-Chatham Islands service. Auckland-Sydney DC-6 flights are inaugurated by the Aotearoa III on May 14; the next day, the same plane launches Auckland-Fiji “Hibiscus” service. The Aotearoa IIflies the last Wellington-Sydney flying boat service on June 25 and the final Sydney-Auckland service two days later; with the exception of the Aranui, which is retained on the Fiji-Tahiti route, the surviving Solents are now all retired. Twice-weekly Christchurch-Sydney operations are begun by the Aotearoa III on June 29.
A total of 43,575 passengers are carried on the year.
The DC-6 Arabia completes the carrier’s 10,000th Tasman Sea crossing on October 28, 1955. In November, the NZNAC responsibility for Auckland-Norfolk Island service is acquired; the route is flown every two weeks with a DC-4 leased from Qantas Empire Airways (Pty.), Ltd.
Bookings skyrocket to 50,864.
Boardings balloon again in 1956, up to 62,159. Auckland-Melbourne DC-6 service is launched in October 1957. The year’s boardings remain level at 62,127.
On May 23, 1958, under Australian influence, orders are placed for three Lockheed L-188C turboprops from the U. S. The request is controversial and brings about the slogan “T. E.A. L.—Take Electras And Like It.”
Enplanements for the year rise to 67,438.
The first of three Electras to be delivered during the year arrives at Auckland on October 15, 1959 and is christened Aotearoa IV; the other two will be named Atarau and Akaroa following their arrival on December 22 and 29, respectively. The premier L-188C launches service from Auckland to Sydney on December 1 and to Melbourne on December 7. Orders are now placed for Fokker F.27-100s.
Traffic for the 12 months reaches 76,405 passengers carried.
Together with British Overseas Airways Corporation, Ltd. and Qantas Empire Airways (Pty.), Ltd., TEAL becomes a co-owner of Fiji Airways, Ltd. on January 1, 1960. New Electra routes are now opened: Auckland-Fiji on January 5, Fiji-Auckland on January 6, Christchurch-Melbourne and Sydney-Christchurch on January 23, Mel-bourne-Christchurch and Christchurch-Sydney on January 24, and Wellington-Sydney on July 26.
When a new Tahiti airport is opened allowing landplane service, the Aranui completes the carrier’s last flying boat service; arriving at Auckland on September 15, the Solent is retired. Late in the month, DC-6 flights commence to Bora Bora and on October 22, to Faa’a Airport, Tahiti.
As 1961 begins, the fleet consists of 3 L-188s and 3 DC-6s. The retired S45 Aranui is donated to Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology. The final Tasman Sea DC-6 service is flown in May as the heavily used Douglas transports are retired. On July 25, in exchange for a grant of competition on the Tasman Sea route, Australia sells its 50% interest to TEAL to the New Zealand government, which now gains control of what will become its state carrier.
The entire fleet of New Zealand’s now wholly owned flag carrier in 1962 consists of three Lockheed L-188Cs. Enplanements reach 148,000 in 1963. In 1964, orders are placed for Douglas DC-8-52s for service on the carrier’s main routes. Traffic climbs 21% as plans are made to adopt a new name and livery identifying the airline as 100% New Zealand controlled.
The L-188C Akaroa, with four crew and two passengers, is destroyed as the result of a bad landing at Whenuapai Airport during a training flight on March 27, 1965; there are no fatalities.
As Auckland’s new international airport is prepared for the arrival of the DC-8-52s, 25-year-old TEAL changes its name to Air New Zealand, Ltd., on April 1.
World History
