Sounds Air

IATA ICAO Call sign S8 SDA[1] SOUNDSAIR[1]
Founded	1986
Operating bases	Wellington Airport
Fleet size	10
Destinations	7
Headquarters	Blenheim, New Zealand
Key people	Cliff Marchant (Founder), Andrew Crawford (Chief Executive/Director), Rhyan Wardman (Chairman, Director), Steve Handyside (Director), Simon Craddock (Director)
Website	soundsair.com

Sounds Air is aNew Zealand airline based inMarlborough.^[2] The airline was founded in 1986 by Cliff and Diane Marchant to provide low cost flights to the Marlborough Sounds.^[3] The airline's head office as well as its Sounds Aero Maintenance division is based atOmaka aerodrome.^[4]

From a single Cessna Caravan operating one route across theCook Strait, Sounds Air has grown in 30 years; the airline carried 78,000 passengers in 2015, compared to 14,000 passengers in 2003. In 2008 the airline set up its own maintenance division as the airline could not find a company suitable to maintain its fleet.^[5] In 2017, Sounds Air signalled that they were looking at buying twin engine planes for the first time: up to three 19-seaterBeech 1900 aircraft to support extra demand for the Blenheim to Christchurch route.^[6]

Sounds Air operates scheduled flights betweenWellington andPicton,Nelson, andBlenheim.^[7][8] Scheduled flights are also available between Blenheim andChristchurch,^[9][10]Wānaka andParaparaumu. Nelson also has flights to Paraparaumu.^[11] Sounds Air formerly servedKaikoura,Napier,Taupo,Westport andWhanganui^[12] from Wellington,Napier from Blenheim andKāpiti Coast from Picton.^[13] A service toMasterton was being considered from Wellington, however no such service eventuated, because the town wanted the link toAuckland reinstated instead.^[14]In addition to scheduled flights Sounds Air offers scenic flights over the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman National Park.^[15]The airline started temporary services to Kaikoura from Christchurch and Blenheim on 21 November 2016 following the2016 Kaikōura earthquake.^[16] The Kaikoura to Christchurch flights ceased from 27 January 2017^[17] followed by the Blenheim flights on 29 December 2017. From this date onwards Kaikoura will become a charter route only.^[18] Sounds Air commenced Christchurch to Wānaka another former Air New Zealand route on 2 November 2020.^[19]

On 18 October 2024 Sounds Air decided to pull out ofWestport because of high costs and lack of support from the government.^[20] A month later Sounds Air announced they were pulling out of Taupo also because of high costs.^[21]Originair has since stepped in to serve both Taupo and Westport from Wellington.

Sounds Air operates scheduled services to the following destinations within New Zealand:

As of May 2024 the Sounds Air fleet consists of ten aircraft.^[24] 6Pilatus PC-12's which are a pressurized, single-engined,turboprop aircraft manufactured byPilatus Aircraft ofStans, Switzerland since 1991. It was designed as a high-performanceutility aircraft powered by thePratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop. They incorporate a large aft cargo door in addition to the main passenger door. It is configured in a 9 seat commuter configuration with 1-1 arrangement. And 4Cessna 208 Caravan's which arestrutted,high wing aircraft with anunpressurized cabin. They are powered by a singlePratt & Whitney Canada PT6A tractorturboprop and have a fixedtricycle landing gear. 2 of the 4 are 208's which seat 12 people in a 1–2 configuration with a 2 person bench seat in the aft section. The 2 others are the stretched 208B's which seat 13 people in a 1–2 configuration.

On 28 September 2020, the airline signed a letter of intent toSwedish companyHeart Aerospace to purchase their ES-19 electric aircraft once it comes available, scheduled for 2026. The airline hopes the ES-19 will be able to make them the first regional airline to offerZero-emissions flights.^[25] In 2022 this was upgraded to the ES-30.^[26]

• On 19 March 1989 Britten Norman BN2A Islander, ZK-SFE, while attempting to land at Tiraora Lodge struck a telephone wire and descended into the sea. The pilot and five passengers were rescued but suffered varying degrees of injury.^[27]
• On 29 January 1996 Cessna 208 Caravan, ZK-SFA, crashed into the eastern slopes of Mount Robertson on approach to Picton Aerodrome atKoromiko after a flight fromWellington. All five passengers were killed, but the pilot survived.^[28]

Media related toSounds Air at Wikimedia Commons

• Sounds Air official website
• Sounds Air aircraft

• Airlines of New Zealand
• Picton, New Zealand
• Airlines established in 1986
• New Zealand companies established in 1986

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from October 2019
• Use New Zealand English from September 2017
• All Wikipedia articles written in New Zealand English
• Commons category link is on Wikidata