Barrier Air Explained

Airline:Barrier Air
Icao:GBA[1]
Callsign:BARRIER
Founded:1983
Headquarters:Auckland, New Zealand
Fleet Size:5
Destinations:6
Website:http://www.barrierair.kiwi

Barrier Air is a New Zealand airline that was established in 1983 by Jim Bergman as Great Barrier Airlines. The head office is located at the Domestic Terminal at Auckland Airport in Māngere, with additional offices in the terminal buildings at Great Barrier Aerodrome, Kaitaia Airport and North Shore Aerodrome.[2]

History

The airline's initial fleet was one Cessna 172, one Cessna 206 and one vintage three-engine de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover. Bergman flew the first scheduled service to Great Barrier Island on 2 December 1983, departing from Ardmore Airport, three nautical miles southeast of Manurewa in Auckland. The company initially operated three flights a day from Ardmore to Auckland International and on to Great Barrier Aerodrome at Claris. In July 1984 the airline started flights to Okiwi Airfield on Great Barrier Island as well. The first Britten Norman Islander was introduced in December 1984.

The first flights to Whangārei from its Auckland base began in August 1987. The airline briefly served Waiheke island, from August 1994 to April 1995. They also purchased a subsidiary company, Air Coromandel, in 1995, which had sole commercial rights to Whitianga. In November 1996 Rotorua (served via Tauranga) and Paihia were added to the network. The Rotorua flight was extended to Taupō in November 1998. A new aircraft type was added, the Britten Norman Trislander starting services on 24 December 2002. Since then three other Trislanders have served in the fleet.[3]

In early 2015, coinciding with a change in management, and the purchase of an ex-Bering Air Cessna Grand Caravan, the name of the airline was changed from Great Barrier Airlines to Barrier Air.[4] The airline now operates a fleet of Grand Caravans – other aircraft models have been retired.[5]

Barrier Air started a service to Hamilton from Auckland in February 2016 to link with the Kiwi Air service.[6]

For more than two decades, it was in a long-running commercial battle with its main local competitor Fly My Sky, until the latter went into liquidation in 2021.[7] Fly My Sky descended from the Great Barrier division of Mountain Air, and operated at various times under the names Great Barrier Xpress and Great Barrier Air, the latter name being subsequently forbidden by a legal injunction as it was too similar to Great Barrier Airlines, the name of which is now Barrier Air. The competition between the two airlines is considered one of the main reasons for the relatively low flight prices, which as of January 2008 remained almost exactly at 1998 prices, despite a trebling of aviation fuel prices in the nine years of competition between the two airlines.[8]

Barrier Air returned to Whitianga on 15 December 2021 using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft.[9] On 22 December Barrier Air announced plans to purchase a fifth Cessna Grand Caravan and look at launching new routes such as Auckland to Tauranga, following the success of the new Whitianga to Auckland route. A year later a new air service between Tauranga and Great Barrier Island was launched.

Current destinations

As of May 2024, Barrier Air operate the following routes:

From Auckland

From Claris - Great Barrier Island (Great Barrier Aerodrome)

From Kaitaia

From Whitianga

From Kerikeri

From Tauranga

Former destinations

Barrier Air over the years operated to many former destinations.[12] [13]

Fleet

, Barrier Air's fleet consists of the following aircraft:[5]

Barrier Air (and its predecessor Great Barrier Airlines) formerly operated the following aircraft:[3] [15]

Barrier Air former fleet
AircraftTotalIntroducedRetiredNotes
Beechcraft 76 Duchess1
Britten-Norman Islander11198420182 leased
Britten-Norman Trislander420022014
Cessna 17241983
Cessna 20611984
Cessna 4021
Cessna 4211
De Havilland DHA-311984
De Havilland Canada DHC-6219941 leased from Air Fiji
Embraer EMB-820C11994
GAF N24 Nomad12000
Partenavia P.68419952017
Piper PA-23 Aztec319851 leased
Piper PA-28 Archer1
Piper PA-31 Navajo32016
Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six419842012Two leased from Auckland Aero Club

External links


Notes and References

  1. Not an ICAO allocation - issued for domestic use by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand: http://www.caa.govt.nz/airlines/Call_signs.pdf
  2. Web site: Contact Us . https://web.archive.org/web/20111108080842/http://www.greatbarrierairlines.co.nz/contact.asp . 8 November 2011 . Great Barrier Airlines . 29 November 2011 . "Physical: Air New Zealand Domestic Terminal Auckland International Airport (Eastern End)" and "Terminal Building North Shore Aerodrome Dairy Flat"
  3. Web site: Lowe. Steve. The Barrier Connection - Great Barrier Airlines. 3rd Level New Zealand. 17 May 2015. 13 October 2021.
  4. Web site: Facebook . 2024-03-31 . www.facebook.com.
  5. Web site: Fleet . Barrier Air . 12 October 2021 . en.
  6. News: Kiwi Regional Airlines, Barrier Air to link services via Hamilton . 7 May 2023 . ODT.
  7. Web site: Anthony . John . Company behind Auckland airline Fly My Sky in liquidation . Stuff . 12 October 2021 . en . 30 June 2021.
  8. News: Rival airlines turn up tit-for-tat heat. 8 July 2010. The New Zealand Herald. 5 January 2008. Wayne. Thompson.
  9. Web site: May 4, 2021 . SCHEDULED AIR SERVICE TO AUCKLAND AIRPORT LATER THIS YEAR . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20220124130138/https://www.theinformer.co.nz/detail.aspx?cid=3591 . January 24, 2022 . March 31, 2024 . theinformer.co.nz.
  10. News: Barrier Air spreads wings to Bay of Islands to shake-up national carrier . 3 May 2024 . NZ Herald . 4 May 2024 . en-NZ.
  11. Web site: Lowe . Steve . New Barrier - Tauranga Connection . 3rd Level New Zealand . 16 June 2022 . 17 June 2022.
  12. Web site: Barrier Air the Northern Airline . 16 August 2015 . 7 May 2023.
  13. Web site: The Barrier Connection - Great Barrier Airlines . 3rd Level NZ . 17 May 2015 . 7 May 2023.
  14. News: The epic journey of a small plane . 14 November 2022.
  15. Web site: Lowe . Steve . Barrier Air - The new name to the Barrier and Kaitaia . 3rd Level New Zealand . 12 October 2021 . 16 August 2015.