Warner Brothers Special Scheme and A320 ZK-OJL

On August 5th 2005 Freedom Air rolled Airbus A320-232 ZK-OJL resplendent in the accompanying scheme as part of a marketing alliance with Warner Brothers and their theme park interests on Australia's Gold Coast.

North Island Notables for August 2005 had the following:

Freedom Air took delivery of their second A320-232, ZK-OJL, at Auckland on August 01 with the aircraft arriving from Honolulu and Apia as flight SJ6390. The delivery flight followed the same path as ZK-OJK, departing Toulouse for Gander and Denver for its first night stop, then to Los Angeles and Honolulu. The aircraft entered service on August 05 as SJ903 from Auckland to Gold Coast Airport in a special Movie World livery which will be worn for 3 years as part of a deal with Warner Brothers.

ZK-OJL was tragically lost in an acceptance flight accident in France on 27 Nov 2008 (additional info after the photos below).

Herewith is an overview of ZK-OJL (ex F-WWID) msn 2500:

ZK-OJL was never actually operated by Air NZ, but by low cost subsidiary Freedom Air. On its Airbus test registration, the airframe made its first flight on 30Jun05 It was delivered to Auckland on 01Aug05 as "Freedom 6390" from Toulouse via Gander, Denver, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Apia. It then entered service 05Aug05 as SJ903 from Auckland to the Gold Coast returning to Auckland as SJ904 before positioning to Hamilton the same day as SJ7223. Its entry to service marked a 3-year advertising contract with Warner Brothers and the aircraft was adorned with decals covering much of the airframe.

ZK-OJL had the auspicious honour of being the first Airbus A320 to visit Palmerston North, this taking place on 15Oct05 as SJ431 from Nadi and departing as SJ419 to Brisbane. On 03Nov05 the aircraft positioned from Hamilton to Christchurch as SJ7223 for a cabin re-configuration where additional seats were put into the aircraft. In the first quarter of 2006 the Air NZ Group studied the regional market and it was concluded that two A320's would be leased abroad as aircraft utilisation was increased with the advent of another company, Zeal 320 Ltd, which allowed for both Freedom Air and Air NZ pilots to fly the A320's under one airline operator's certificate, whereas prior to this only Freedom pilots could fly the Freedom registered A320's and same for the Air NZ pilots. Incidentally, Zeal 320 Ltd ceased to exist from 26Nov this year (2008) and all aircraft returned to the Air NZ AOC! ZK-OJK and ZK-OJL were identified as the aircraft to be leased out, the former going to TAM in Brazil as PR-MBJ in July 2006. ZK-OJL flew its final flight with Freedom Air on 02May06 as SJ966 from the Gold Coast to Christchurch, its Warner Brother's decal already taken off bit by bit. (ZK-OJO then flew with the same design on it). It flew an acceptance flight (in all white livery) from/to Christchurch on 22May06 as SJ7140 and was cancelled from the NZ register 24May06 and re-registered D-AXLA. As such, it departed Christchurch for Darwin and Bangkok on 25May06 flown by XL Airways crew.

The rest now is history with the aircraft, repainted in Air NZ livery (for the first time) crashing on an acceptance flight from Perpignan, France, late on the afternoon of 27Nov (French time) as flight GXL888T claiming the lives of 7 people, including 5 Air NZ staff.
The A320 was set to return to Frankfurt and be placed back on the NZ register for its re-delivery to Air NZ, with its planned route to be via Gander, Denver, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Apia to Auckland as ANZ6390, arriving on 05Dec. Sadly this was not to happen.

Other Boeing Business Jets

Continuing the earlier theme of Boeing's BBJ product, the following are other types of Boeing used in the specialised field of either military VIP activity of personal transport.

Chilean Air Force Boeing 737-300 922 at Wellington 20 November 2006, PVD photo


USAF Boeing 757-200 02-4452 departing Auckland 15 October 2007, Wayne Grant photo


USAF Boeing 757-200/C32A 98-0001 at Christchurch 08 January 2008, Tony McFarlin photo


UAE Boeing 747-400 A6-UAE turns onto the localiser for runway 02 at Christchurch 01 Sep 2007. Barry Hudson photo


Bahran Boeing 747-SP A9C-HMH prepares to depart Auckland 30 March 2005, MRC photo


Boeing 757-200 HB-IEE touching down at Auckland 24 November 2005, MRC photo


Comco Boeing 757-200 N610G lifting from runway 34 at Wellington 20 November 2006, Wayne Grant photo


Aramco Boeing 767-200 N767A arriving at Auckland 18 October 2009, MRC photo

Google Boeing 767-200 N2767 at Christchurch 28 December 2006, Tony McFarlin photo

Boeing 727 VP-BAP at Invercargill 18 October 2007, MRC Collection

Boeing 737-200 VP-CBA at Auckland 01 April 2010, MRC photo

Mexican Air Force Boeing 757-200 XC-UJM launches from Auckland 07 September 2007, Colin Hunter photo

Boeing BBJ Visitors

The last few years (since the digital camera age!) a number of Boeing's BBJ variants have visited our shores both in their military and civilian forms. The following is but a selection of those that have visited New Zealand.

USAF Boeing C40B BBJ 01-0041 arrives at Christchurch during 2007.

USAF Boeing C40B BBJ 01-0015 arriving at Wellington 02 Sep 2009, Peter Van Dyk photo

Boeing BBJ 02-0042 departing Wellington August 2008.

USN Boeing C40C BBJ Clipper 02-0201 at Auckland 11 January 2004. MRC photo


USAF Boeing BBJ 05-0932 at Auckland 13 January 2008, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ-2 A6-AUH at Queenstown 06 February 2010, Mike Steed photo

Boeing BBJ A6-RJX at Christchurch 08 September 2007, Barry Hudson photo

RAAF Boeing BBJ A36-002 departing Christchurch 21 June 2009, Barry Hudson photo

Boeing BBJ-2 G-OBBJ lifts off from Wellington's runway 34 02 July 2005, Glen Reid photo

Boeing BBJ HZ-MF2 at Wellington 04 April 2006, Peter Van Dyk photo


Boeing BBJ N4AS at Auckland 07 December 2003, later became an Auckland resident as N66ZB, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ N66ZB departing Auckland 27 December 2007, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ N164RJ at Auckland 22 December 2006, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ N164RJ in its new scheme at Auckland 19 February 2008, MRC photo


Boeing BBJ N254SJ at Auckland 06 February 2005, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ N742PB arrives at Auckland 24 June 2006, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ VP-BEL arrives at Auckland 31 May 2007, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ VP-BRT arrives Auckland 16 September 2009, MRC photo

Boeing BBJ VP-CEC at Auckland 27 September 2007, MRC photo


Boeing BBJ-2 VP-CSK arriving at Auckland 16 May 2008, MRC photo

Aircraft Manufacturer Demonstrators

Following Air Nelson's fleet expansion in 1990 to start operating the Saab 340, a small number of aircraft manufacturer's took the opportunity to show their product off to the airline in a bid to seek sales.

Saab dispatched Saab 2000 V7-9508 during July 1995 and it is pictured here at Nelson on the 12th in the colours of Air Marshall Islands whom it was on delivery too at the time of its NZ visit. The aircraft was also demonstrated to Mount Cook Airline.



Bombardier Dash 8-300 ZS-NMH, on its delivery flight to SA Express, visited during March 1995. The rebranded Q300 was of selected as the Saab replacement for Air Nelson several years after the demonstrator visited.


British Aerospace flew their Jetstream 41 G-JMAC down under in December 1993 and it spent a few days at Nelson. Of course this type was many years later chosen by Origin Pacific.

Air Nelson Q300 - Five Year Anniversary

Arriving in Auckland July 28 2005 nearing the conclusion of the longest Dash 8 ferry flight ever was Air Nelson’s first Bombardier Q300 C-FCPO. The flight, crewed by Air Nelson pilot Mike Ford accompanied by two Bombardier pilots, arrived in Auckland from Gold Coast Airport and Lord Howe Island as “De Havilland 05”. The aircraft was greeted at Air Center One by a water cannon salute and after clearing formalities departed for its new home of Nelson where it entered the register on July 29 as ZK-NEA. This registration was formerly worn by Ansett New Zealand’s first Boeing 737, a -130 series, from May 1987 until April 1991.
The ferry flight took 10 days, 65 flight hours, a distance of some 28,900km and 19 landings! The delivery flight took the following route: Downsview-Goose Bay-Narsarsuaq-Reykjavik-Glasgow-Innsbruck-Iraklion-Hurghada-Bahrain-Karachi-Varanasi-Yangon-Penang-Kuching-Pandang-Darwin-Mt Isa-Coolangatta-Lord Howe Island-Auckland-Nelson! ZK-NEA entered service August 15 as NZ8148 from Nelson to Wellington flown by Captains Lu Gollop and Tony Ridden.

At Downview 30 June 2005 prior to its departure and below is a series of its arrival at Auckland.

Last Friendship visitor at Ardmore?

Arriving in Auckland 27 July 2004 on completion of its ferry flight from Bali was GT Air’s sole Fokker F27-500 PK-LTP (10398). The ferry route had taken the Friendship via Darwin, Brisbane and Norfolk Island. Auckland was not quite its final destination as the F27 flew onwards to Ardmore 28 July 2004 where it underwent a cabin refurbishment with Airwork before returning to Indonesia. This machine has been sitting idle in Bali since April 2004 after having an engine failure.

The F27 positioned from Ardmore to Auckland on 12 September 2004 for further work at Airwork's Mangere facility. It finally departed our shores on 05 November 2004 embarking from Auckland to Norfolk Island, Brisbane and Longreach.

A web search would indicate the aircraft is still going strong in 2010 and wears a modified livery:
http://www.fokker-aircraft.info/gtair-pkltp.jpg


Conducting engine runs on the disused runway at Ardmore 30 July 2004, Mike Condon photo

Air New Zealand's Foray into the World of Airbus

Air New Zealand Fleet Announcement 02 July 2002

Air New Zealand is acquiring 15 new Airbus A320 aircraft and purchase rights on a further 20 A320 aircraft, exercisable over the next 10 years, under an agreement signed with Airbus today. "We are bringing in a new aircraft type to support a strategic change in the service and products we will be offering to short-haul international travellers on Air New Zealand’s Tasman and South Pacific routes", the Managing Director and CEO of the Group Ralph Norris said in announcing theA320acquisition deal. "The Airbus aircraft will give us new capabilities for our short-haul international operations in terms of range, passenger and cargo carrying capacity, seat and cabin configurations, and in-flight services. We currently use a mix of Boeing 767 and 737 type aircraft on our short-haul international services and consolidation on a single type aircraft will simplify both operation and support service requirements. Introducing Airbus A320 aircraft to our fleet will also expand our engineering capability and enable our ANZES engineering unit to increase its range of third party customers. At this time, we envisage continuing to use Boeing aircraft for Air New Zealand domestic and long-haul international services, Mr Norris said. Ten of the 15 A320 aircraft, a simulator, spares and other associated items are being acquired via a combination of purchase and leasing arrangements still to be finally determined by the Board of Air New Zealand within a capital investment budget in excess of US$400 million. Five of the aircraft will be acquired from the leasing company GECAS under a standard operating lease arrangements. The first of the new A320 aircraft will be inducted into the Air New Zealand fleet at the end of October next year, and the 15th aircraft is scheduled to be delivered towards the end of 2006. These aircraft will replace four Boeing 767-200 aircraft that are currently being retired from the Air New Zealand fleet and nine Boeing 737-300 aircraft that will be progressively retired from the fleet between September 2003 and December 2006.
The purchase of the new aircraft will have a net positive impact on Air New Zealand’s financial performance as the enhanced operating efficiency of the new aircraft, and increased seat numbers, more than offset the cost of incremental capital employed in the new fleet. Financing for the acquisition will be secured against the aircraft and is not expected to affect the Groups gearing levels. The acquisition can be financed without any recourse to the shareholders. The A320 is well suited to Air New Zealand’s needs in the Tasman and short-haul Pacific markets, with more seating capacity than the Groups existing fleet of Boeing 737 and 767 type aircraft. The A320 is capable of carrying containerised cargo and has a greater range than the 737-300 making it a better fit for the missions required by the regional market.Under the terms of its agreement with Airbus, Air New Zealand has the right to switch between the A320 aircraft and either the larger A321 aircraft or the smaller A319 aircraft prior to delivery, should market conditions change. If this right were exercised, financial terms would be adjusted accordingly.In addition to its commitment to acquire the 15 aircraft, Air New Zealand has secured purchase rights on a further 20 Airbus aircraft at agreed prices in the future. These rights lock in prices based on current market conditions for future acquisitions by Air New Zealand without any fixed obligation to purchase. These arrangements provide the Group with the ability to replace its entire Tasman and short-haul Pacific fleet within the next decade.

First A320 for Air New Zealand, ZK-OJA, still carrying its French test registration in early September 2003.


And additional images of ZK-OJA soon after delivery and in the Lord of the Rings scheme.

RNZAF Light Utility Helicopter at Farnborough

In May 2008 the NZDF announced the purchase of 5 Agusta A109LUH (Light Utility Helicopter) for the RNZAF to replace the long serving Sioux fleet and provide VIP transport.

NZ3403 was photographed at Farnborough this week.

Kiyoshi Sato photo via Bargeld01

The RNZAF A109's will not be the first of type in NZ. Back in 1987 Rossmond Holdings of Auckland operated ZK-HXI/1 on behalf of Goldcorp and it is seen here shortly after its delivery on a trip to Hokitika where the operator had mining interests. It time in NZ was short with it being exported in September 1989.

Mike Condon photos

Another A109, ZK-HBC/1, was registered to Helitaxi of Auckland from 11 Nov 1987 through until 08 August 1990 and provided a shuttle service from Mechanics Bay to Auckland International Airport in conjunction with Air NZ.