Freedom Air
Encyclopedia
Freedom Air was Air New Zealand
Group's low-cost airline
which operated from December 1995 to March 2008. It ran scheduled passenger services from New Zealand
to Australia
and Fiji
and charter services within New Zealand. Its main base was Auckland Airport.
. It was formed as South Pacific Air Charters by Mount Cook Airline
. It was later wholly owned by Air New Zealand
.
By 2004 its fleet had expanded to five Boeing 737-300
aircraft and it was providing direct non-stop services to the Australian cities of Brisbane
, Gold Coast
, Newcastle
, Sydney
and Melbourne
from Hamilton
, Auckland
, Wellington
, Christchurch
, Dunedin
and Palmerston North
. Flights to Fiji
were also operated. It briefly operated on the New Zealand
main trunk domestic routes such as Auckland–Christchurch, but ceased these services to concentrate on providing value trans-Tasman
flights.
The Freedom Air fleet at March 2007 consisted of 12 Airbus A320-200
. In June 2006, aircraft from Freedom Air were combined with Air New Zealand's fleet of Airbus A320-200 under the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) of Zeal320 Limited, which was then the sole operator of the Air New Zealand Group's Airbus fleet. When the airline ceased Zeal320 had one aircraft (ZK-OJO) painted in Freedom Air livery. As such, Freedom Air has no aircraft or current Air Operators Certificate, and Freedom Air is no longer an operational entity.
Air New Zealand ceased all Freedom Air operations from the end of March 2008.
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
Group's low-cost airline
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
which operated from December 1995 to March 2008. It ran scheduled passenger services from 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...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and charter services within New Zealand. Its main base was Auckland Airport.
History
The airline was established in 1995 as a response to the commencement of discount services between Australia and New Zealand by Kiwi Airlines and started operations on 8 December 1995 with a single Boeing 757Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
. It was formed as South Pacific Air Charters by Mount Cook Airline
Mount Cook Airline
Mount Cook Airline is an airline based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is wholly owned by Air New Zealand and operates scheduled services throughout the country under the Air New Zealand Link brand...
. It was later wholly owned by Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
.
By 2004 its fleet had expanded to five Boeing 737-300
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft and it was providing direct non-stop services to the Australian cities of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
from Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, 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...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, 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...
, Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
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...
. Flights to Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
were also operated. It briefly operated on the 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...
main trunk domestic routes such as Auckland–Christchurch, but ceased these services to concentrate on providing value trans-Tasman
Trans-Tasman
Trans-Tasman is an adjective used primarily in Australia and New Zealand, which signifies an interrelationship between both countries. Its name originates from the Tasman Sea which lies between the two countries...
flights.
The Freedom Air fleet at March 2007 consisted of 12 Airbus A320-200
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
. In June 2006, aircraft from Freedom Air were combined with Air New Zealand's fleet of Airbus A320-200 under the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) of Zeal320 Limited, which was then the sole operator of the Air New Zealand Group's Airbus fleet. When the airline ceased Zeal320 had one aircraft (ZK-OJO) painted in Freedom Air livery. As such, Freedom Air has no aircraft or current Air Operators Certificate, and Freedom Air is no longer an operational entity.
Air New Zealand ceased all Freedom Air operations from the end of March 2008.
Destinations
Freedom Air flew to six destinations in New Zealand and five in Australia. All flights ended on 30 March 2008, being replaced (with the exception of Palmerston North, which does not currently operate any scheduled international flights) by Air New Zealand flights.