After today's devasting 6.3 'aftershock' rocking and destroying much of the Christchurch Central Business District at 12.51pm, significant aviation related activities have taken place. It is not my intention to minimise this traumatic event but merely to record the aircraft movements associated with the relief effort.
The immediate effects of the quake saw much of NZ airspace without air traffic control services as the main radar centre is located at Christchurch and of course the airport at Christchurch was closed pending inspections of all facets of infastructure. Multiple international flights were diverted away from Christchurch to Wellington and Auckland and the domestic network of the Air NZ Group of airlines and Jetstar thrown out of routine as the ATC centre closed. It was restored approximately 90 minutes after the main quake however the airport remains closed to all aircraft with the exception of relief flights deemed by NOTAM to be that of military, government, civil defence, hospital and emergency operations.
A number of aircraft have used Timaru as a 'hub' and those noted up until 2230 have been:
Sovereign ZK-JTH Auckland-Timaru but re-routed and landed at Christchurch before returning to Auckland
Learjet 35 ZK-XVL Ardmore-Timaru-Ardmore
Mustang ZK-LCA Hastings-Timaru-Kerikeri
Piper PA31 ZK-WHW Paraparaumu-Timaru-Paraparaumu
Ashburton hosted Piper PA31 ZK-CAL which arrived from Ardmore but then made it north to Christchurch before returning north to Ardmore.
The resident Air Ambulance's from Christchurch, King Air ZK-FDR and Conquest ZK-NFD, are at Christchurch but have not yet made any departures however inbound as I type is Phillips Rescue PA31 ZK-NSP from Hamilton, Skyline's King Air ZK-PLK from Napier, the Lifeflight Metroliners, the Northland Emergency Services Trust Sikorsky S76 ZK-ISJ "Helimed 1" (from Mechanics Bay via Wellington), and Westpac Rescue's BK117 ZK-HKZ from Mechanics Bay via Paraparaumu and Woodbourne as "Westpac Rescue 2".
No less than four corporate jets are inbound to Dunedin tonight:
Gulfstream 450 VH-MBP is about to arrive (2248) from Essendon
Global Express VH-TGG is a couple of minutes behind from Sydney
Citation X VH-XCJ is due around 2345 from Sydney
Global 5000 VH-LEP is due around 0030 from Sydney
This list does not include the efforts of the RNZAF and the media's report of RAAF C130 Hercules aircraft inbound to Christchurch from Australia with rescue crew/s and equipment.
The USAF C5 Galaxy 68-0226 has departed Christchurch tonight as planned for Hickam as "Reach 5E2".
