OG OGN Commenced operations 12 August 2015 Destinations 2 Founded 2015 Fleet size 2 | OGN ORIGIN Operating bases Headquarters Nelson Number of employees 25 | |
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Key people Robert InglisTracey PawsonGary Jeffcott | ||
Originair
Originair is an airline based in Nelson, New Zealand. It was founded in 2015 by local businessman Robert Inglis, who was the founder of Air Nelson and later Origin Pacific Airways; and Nelson businessman Mike Curry. Originair commenced operations on 12 August 2015, flying between Nelson and Palmerston North and 13 September, flying between Nelson and Wellington. The airline began its operations with two British Aerospace Jetstream 32 aircraft.
Contents
History
Robert Inglis started Air Nelson in 1979 with Nicki Smith. Air New Zealand purchased 50 per cent of the airline in 1988, and then the remainder in 1996 and still operates it today. Inglis and Smith then went on to start Origin Pacific Airways in 1996 as a feeder airline for Qantas. It went into liquidation in 2006 after Qantas' subsidiary Jetconnect cancelled a contract that resulted in Origin losing 60 per cent of its business.
In February 2016, issues with the operator's certificate of Originair's operator, Air Freight NZ, led to the grounding of the Jetstream aircraft by New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The issues are "very specific to the particular operation" of Originair. Originair flights were briefly being operated by an alternative company, Airwork, with different aircraft. The airline stopped operating at the end of March 2016.
In July 2016 the airline announced it had most of its CAA issues resolved and would resume flights in September under the operator Inflite Charters and using its Air Operating Certificate. It would resume the Nelson to Palmerston North route but due to Jetstar serving Nelson it would not resume flights to Wellington.
On 23 September 2016 Originair recommenced regular scheduled services between Nelson and Palmerston North. Flights were being operated by Air2there until Jetstream operations recommence.
Destinations
Originair operates scheduled services to the following destinations within New Zealand:
In addition to its scheduled flights above, Originair flies charters throughout New Zealand.
Fleet
The Originair fleet consists of the following aircraft: