In
the late 1970s Skybus Airlines was established to provide
discounted domestic and international flights from New Zealand.
To obtain discounted airfares all passengers had to become a
member of the Aqua Avia Society, a non profit, provident society
which operated Skybus Airlines. The concept behind the scheme
was to circumvent the Air Services Licensing Act 1951 which did
not permit aero clubs to carry passengers for profit unless the
club e.g. The Piako Aero Club was an affiliated member of the
RNZAC (Royal New Zealand Aero Club Inc.)
Skybus
Airlines set up offices in New Zealand and leased aircraft with
proposals for further leases. Their first aircraft was a 1948
Vickers Viscount 802 series registered as ZK-SKY, with the
inaugural Auckland to Wellington flight on Friday November 20th
1981. The archive the Walsh Memorial Library holds on the
Skybus Airlines enterprise includes scrap books, minutes of
meetings, audio tapes, membership lists, newsletters, leases and
operating contracts for aircraft. Throughout it’s short history
this little known saga of the Skybus Airlines operation, was
fraught with management, financial, legal and civil aviation
problems, which prevented the new discount airline from taking
off and which is well documented in this unique collection.
For
more information, including current events and exhibitions, call the MOTAT
Infoline 0800 MOTATNZ (0800 668286)! MOTAT, Great
North Road, Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. Tel: +64 9 815 5800 Fax: +64 9846 4242
In
the late 1970s Skybus Airlines was established to provide
discounted domestic and international flights from New Zealand.
To obtain discounted airfares all passengers had to become a
member of the Aqua Avia Society, a non profit, provident society
which operated Skybus Airlines. The concept behind the scheme
was to circumvent the Air Services Licensing Act 1951 which did
not permit aero clubs to carry passengers for profit unless the
club e.g. The Piako Aero Club was an affiliated member of the
RNZAC (Royal New Zealand Aero Club Inc.) 
Skybus
Airlines set up offices in New Zealand and leased aircraft with
proposals for further leases. Their first aircraft was a 1948
Vickers Viscount 802 series registered as ZK-SKY, with the
inaugural Auckland to Wellington flight on Friday November 20th
1981. The archive the Walsh Memorial Library holds on the
Skybus Airlines enterprise includes scrap books, minutes of
meetings, audio tapes, membership lists, newsletters, leases and
operating contracts for aircraft. Throughout it’s short history
this little known saga of the Skybus Airlines operation, was
fraught with management, financial, legal and civil aviation
problems, which prevented the new discount airline from taking
off and which is well documented in this unique collection.