Private company

Air Freight NZ

Cargo airline in Auckland, NZ

Air Freight NZ was a cargo airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. It operated scheduled overnight cargo services on behalf of owner Freightways, and is supported by sister company Fieldair holdings. Domestic charter services are also operated.2 It ceased to exist in 2016.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1989Founded1
Air Freight NZ Convair 580 Breidenstein-1
Photo: Timo Breidenstein, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons4

Air Freight NZ was a cargo airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. It operated scheduled overnight cargo services on behalf of owner Freightways, and is supported by sister company Fieldair holdings. Domestic charter services are also operated. Its main base is Auckland Airport, with hubs at Christchurch International Airport and Palmerston North International Airport.2

The story

The airline started operations in July 1989, headed by William (Bill) Olsen. Its primary contract was with the courier division of Freightways Group. It is now wholly owned by Freightways Express. The Convair carries 11 cargons of freight on each trip. Despite its age the Convair is a great performer capable of transporting seven and a half tonnes of freight at 300 kts.

From Wikipedia’s article on Air Freight NZ, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

Destinations

Air Freight NZ operated freight services to the following destinations in April 2013: Auckland, Christchurch and Palmerston North. Air Freight operated seven northbound flights per night from Christchurch Airport.

Fleet

The former Air Freight NZ fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at June 2014):

4 Convair 580

1 Convair 5800

From Wikipedia’s article on Air Freight NZ, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. Jul 2016Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1989Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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