New Zealand’s Christchurch Airport today marked 75 years of scheduled international flights.
Not surprisingly, the first international service was to Australia, the first regular international service taking off from Christchurch for Melbourne On June 29, 1951/
It was a once-a-week flight operated by a DC-4 Skymaster chartered by Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), the predecessor to the Air New Zealand we know today.
The DC-4 was a four-engine propeller aircraft, unpressurised, slower and noisier inside the cabin than today’s jets. It carried around 40 passengers, cruised at about 350 km/h and took six and a half hours to cross the Tasman.
At the time, that single weekly international service was a milestone for the South Island.
Seventy-five years to the day after the first commercial international flight, passengers aboard Air New Zealand flight NZ213 once again departed Christchurch for Melbourne, taking off at 6.10am on an Air New Zealand Airbus A320neo.
Christchurch Airport’s chief executive, Justin Watson, says the anniversary is a chance to reflect on how far aviation has come.
“That first flight was a bold step for Christchurch and the South Island. It connected us directly with Australia and helped open the door to the world. Seventy-five years later, passengers can make the same journey in a quieter, faster and far more efficient aircraft,” he noted.
“In 1951, one weekly international flight was a major milestone. Today, Christchurch is a thriving international gateway with direct links across Australia, Asia, the Pacific and North America.
“The aircraft have changed dramatically, and our network continues to grow. What hasn’t changed is our shared commitment with all our airline partners to connecting people, places and opportunity.”
