Private company
New Zealand regional airline
Aspiring Air was an airline based in Wānaka, New Zealand. It operated charter pleasure flights around New Zealand's Southern Alps and scheduled services three times daily to Queenstown, connecting with Air New Zealand. Its main base was Wānaka Airport.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
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Aspiring Air was an airline based in Wānaka, New Zealand. It operated charter pleasure flights around New Zealand's Southern Alps and scheduled services three times daily to Queenstown, connecting with Air New Zealand. Its main base was Wānaka Airport.2
The airline was established in 1974, was wholly owned by Barrie McHaffie (Managing Director) and had 8 employees Aspiring Air started scheduled services from Wānaka to Christchurch in 1984 using a Cessna 207 aircraft. The flight took 90 minutes each way and had to be flown during daylight hours due to IFR rules. Later on a stop in Cromwell was added to the service. The airline was closed down on 7 July 2015.
From Wikipedia’s article on Aspiring Air, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
Aspiring Air operated scheduled services between Wānaka and Queenstown (at March 2007).
In 1986 the Aspiring Air fleet consisted of two aircraft.
1 Cessna 207 Skywagon
1 Cessna A185F Skywagon
The Aspiring Air fleet consisted of the following aircraft in November 2012:
2 Britten-Norman BN2A Islander
1 Cessna 177 Cardinal
1 Cessna 172 Skyhawk
From Wikipedia’s article on Aspiring Air, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
On 8 August 1989, Nine passengers and the pilot died when the Britten-Norman Islander they were in crashed into terrain in the Upper Dart Valley.
From Wikipedia’s article on Aspiring Air, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
