Oamaru Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oamaru Airport
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| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Waitaki District Council | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | New Zealand CAA | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Oamaru | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 99 ft / 30 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 44°58′12″S 171°04′54″E / 44.97000°S 171.08167°E | ||||||||||||||||||
| Runway | |||||||||||||||||||
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Oamaru Airport (OAM, NZOU) is a public airport. It is located about 20 kilometers north of Oamaru. The airport is in Hilderthorpe, which is part of the North Otago region in the Waitaki District of New Zealand. You can find it right next to State Highway 1.
History of Oamaru Airport
The Oamaru Airport has a long history of flights and changes. On December 10, 1960, an airline called South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand started flying from Oamaru. They used Douglas DC-3 planes. These flights connected Oamaru to cities like Timaru, Christchurch, Alexandra, and Invercargill. Later, a stop in Gore was added. These services stopped on February 28, 1966.
Right after that, Mount Cook Airlines (MCA) took over. They also used DC-3 aircraft. Their flights went to Timaru and Christchurch. In October 1968, Mount Cook Airline began using bigger HS-748 aircraft, which could carry 52 passengers.
A new, sealed runway at Oamaru Airport was ready for use in March 1975. However, regular scheduled flights were stopped in 1989. In 2005, the Waitaki District Council decided to fix up the main runway.
Scheduled flights started again in 2006. The first BAe Jetstream 32EP plane arrived from Christchurch. This flight was operated by Air National for Eagle Airways. About 500 people came to watch it land! The plane that made this first flight was even renamed The Spirit of Waitaki. This was to celebrate flights returning to Oamaru. Sadly, regular commercial flights to Oamaru stopped again on January 1, 2010.
North Otago Aero Club
The North Otago Aero Club has been based at Oamaru Airport since 1956. For many years, they offered charter flights around the South Island. This continued until 2019.
Today, the club offers flight training. You can learn to fly and earn a Private Pilots License. They use a Cessna 172N plane for training. The club also offers fun trial flights around the local area. This is a great way to experience flying for the first time!
Timeline of Air Services
The town of Oamaru has worked hard to have air services. But it has also faced challenges, losing flights several times. This has meant that people often have to travel to Dunedin or Timaru to catch a flight.
Here is a timeline of important events for Oamaru's air services:
- 1975: NAC (which later became Air New Zealand) starts flights to Wellington. These flights stopped in Timaru and used Fokker Friendship aircraft.
- April 1, 1990: Air New Zealand stops its Fokker Friendship flights to Oamaru.
- April 23, 1990: Air Nelson takes over the flights. They use Metroliner aircraft.
- October 28, 1991: Air Nelson stops its flights. Oamaru is left without any commercial air service.
- 1991-2006: Many different ideas are looked at to bring back air service.
- 2005-2006: The Waitaki District Council spends about $500,000. This money is used to improve the runway, the airport building, and other parts of the airport.
- 2006: Waitaki Mayor Alan McLay begins talking with airlines to start a new service.
- June 20, 2006: Eagle Airways announces a new service to Christchurch. They plan to use their Beech 1900 planes. Sometimes, Air National Jetstream 32 aircraft are also used.
- August 7, 2006: The first Beech 1900 flight lands at Oamaru. About 120 people are there to welcome it.
- May 18, 2009: Eagle Airways changes its flight schedule. There are worries that the service is having money problems.
- October 13, 2009: Eagle Airways announces that its service will end on January 1, 2010.
- January 1, 2010: Eagle Airways stops its flights from Oamaru.
- June 4, 2014: Mainland Air starts its own scheduled flights to Christchurch. However, these flights only last a short time and end in August of the same year.
