Air Freight NZ is a cargo airline

Cargo airline

Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...

 based in Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It operates scheduled overnight cargo services on behalf of owner Freightways Express. Domestic charter services are also operated. Its main base is Auckland Airport, with hubs at Christchurch International Airport

Christchurch International Airport

-Facts & figures:As the gateway for Christchurch and the South Island, Christchurch International Airport is New Zealand’s second largest airport.5,908,077 passengers travelled in and out of Christchurch International Airport from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009...

 and Palmerston North International Airport

Palmerston North International Airport

Palmerston North International Airport is located on the outskirts of the suburb of Milson in Palmerston North, New Zealand, north-east of the City central area. Although the airport has not had a regular international flight since the end of March 2008, the official name, Palmerston North...

.

History

The airline started operations in July 1989, headed by Peter Vincent. Its primary contract was the courier division of New Zealand Railways

New Zealand Railways Corporation

KiwiRail Network, formerly ONTRACK , is the infrastructure arm of KiwiRail. The ONTRACK trading name was introduced in 2004 after the government repurchased all of New Zealand's rail infrastructure from Toll NZ. It does not operate revenue rolling stock...

. It is now wholly owned by Freightways Express.

Incidents and accidents

• 3 October 2003: Air Freight NZ Convair 580
  Convair 240
  The Convair CV-240 was an American airliner produced by Convair from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement of the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. While featuring a more modern design, the 240 series was able to make some inroads as a commercial airliner and also had a long development cycle...
  
  , ZK-KFU, was lost off radar near the Kapiti Coast. Fatalities: 2.
• 31 July 1989: Air Freight NZ Convair 580
  Convair 240
  The Convair CV-240 was an American airliner produced by Convair from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement of the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. While featuring a more modern design, the 240 series was able to make some inroads as a commercial airliner and also had a long development cycle...
  
  , ZK-FTB, descended shortly after takeoff from Auckland Airport, colliding with a bank before crashing into Manukau Harbour. Fatalities: 3.

Destinations

Air Freight NZ operates freight services to the following destinations (at March 2007) : Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

 and Palmerston North

Palmerston North

Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...

.

Fleet

The Air Freight NZ fleet consists of the following aircraft (at March 2007) :

• 4 Convair 580
  Convair 240
  The Convair CV-240 was an American airliner produced by Convair from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement of the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. While featuring a more modern design, the 240 series was able to make some inroads as a commercial airliner and also had a long development cycle...
  
  
• 1 Convair 5800
  Convair 240
  The Convair CV-240 was an American airliner produced by Convair from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement of the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. While featuring a more modern design, the 240 series was able to make some inroads as a commercial airliner and also had a long development cycle...