Destinations 3 Website flyDirect.co.nz Founded 2010 | Key people Jeffrey James Kay Headquarters Wanaka, New Zealand Ceased operations June 2, 2010 | |
flyDirect was a proposed and ultimately failed New Zealand seasonal passenger airline created in early 2010 to serve the ski resort town of Wanaka located on the shore of Lake Wanaka. It went into liquidation on 2 June 2010, before launching its first service.
The airline was brought about due to the refusal of Air New Zealand's subsidiary, Eagle Airways to add extra flights or reschedule the inconvenient afternoon daily flight that was on offer. Local Wanaka businesses were the backers to the airline with accommodation package deals being the only ticketing option. The airline aimed to cater for the "weekend" skier market and Australian skiing holiday makers.
Destinations
Christchurch and Wellington were the airline's intended service destinations, feeding off trans-Tasman flights. Bombardier Q-100 aircraft operated by Vincent Aviation were to operate the Wanaka-Christchurch route and the Wanaka-Wellington route. Services were scheduled to begin 1 July 2010. Enlarging of the terminal building was underway to cater for a maximum of 85 passengers at any one time. Larger aircraft such as the Bae 146 were mooted as a possible type but this could only have happened if Wanaka Airport's runway was strengthened to handle continued use of the type.
Planned destinations