Established in 1992, Glenorchy Air was founded by Robert and Janet Rutherford. At the time, the stunning road from Queenstown to Glenorchy was unsealed, making it not as accessible as it is today. They saw an opportunity to begin an operation there and once the road was sealed six years later, focus shifted to our base at Queenstown Airport, which we still occupy today. Glenorchy Air has been operated as a true Family business from day one, with the entire Rutherford family being involved in the business through the years.
We’ve evolved over our 30 years of operation. We’ve grown from a single aircraft in 1992 to a fleet size of 5 in 2017. Glenorchy Air was the first Queenstown-based company to operate the GA8 Airvan in 2003 and use of this aircraft is now widespread for sightseeing tours in New Zealand and abroad. In 1999, when filming for Lord of the Rings started, Glenorchy Air flew production crew and actors, memorably Sir Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen, around the region as well as transporting film and carrying out location reconnaissance. Our fleet today consists of 5 carefully selected and custom built aircraft, all purposefully built for sightseeing.
In July 2019, James Stokes took to the helm at Glenorchy Air. James is a Queenstown local who is incredibly passionate about aviation and our beautiful region. He has flown for Glenorchy Air since 2015 and before purchasing the business, was the company’s Training Captain and Flight Examiner. James is a CAA certificated Airline Flight Examiner with years of mountain flying experience and has a strong background in flight instruction of both private and commercial pilots, all gained in the local area. It is a dream come true for James to own and operate his own scenic flight business in Queenstown.
All of Glenorchy Air’s pilots are trained and assessed to the highest standards of competence and safety by James and our other highly experienced operational instructors, who have thousands of hours in the mountains of Central Otago and Fiordland. Our Pilots and Ground staff are all highly skilled and experienced locals with an excellent standard of customer service. We love where we live and where we work.
Glenorchy Air was established as a family-owned and operated business by Robert and Janet Rutherford in November at 1992. Named after Glenorchy, a beautiful township at the head of Lake Wakatipu, they operated one Cessna 185C Skywagon, ZK-CHK.
Operations expanded to locations all across the South Island, including Taiaroa Head at the end of the Otago Peninsula where passengers would visit the rare Yellow-Eyed Penguins.
The fleet doubles with the purchase of a Piper PA32-300 Cherokee Six.
When filming for Lord of the Rings was taking place, Glenorchy Air transported members of the cast and crew and film equipment. This included producer Barrie Osbourne and actor Sir Ian McKellen.
Glenorchy Air establishes its base within the Queenstown Airport terminal. This continues to serve as our hub to this day. Come visit us today!
Gippsaero GA8 ZK-LOR is purchased. It was the first brand new aircraft to arrive on the flight scene in Queenstown since 1975.
A second brand new Gippsaero GA8 Airvan, ZK-JRR, joins the Glenorchy Air fleet.
Glenorchy Air added its third Gippsaero GA8 Airvan, ZK-ZEA, to the fleet in April 2015.
On 1 July 2019, James Stokes, a pilot of Glenorchy Air since 2015, purchased the company. The company underwent a modern rebranding, which included purchasing a brand new fleet of transfer vans for complimentary pickups, custom branding on our aircraft and a complete renovation of our kiosk inside Queenstown Airport.
Glenorchy Air purchased a brand new Cessna 206 Stationair HD from Cessna in Kansas, USA. This beautiful and modern machine arrived in Queenstown in December 2019.
Cessna custom build a 208B Grand Caravan Ex for Glenorchy Air, ZK-MMZ. It arrived in Queenstown in September 2020. It was flown from Merced, California across the Pacific to its final destination in Queenstown.
Cessna custom build a second 208B Grand Caravan Ex for Glenorchy Air, ZK-PPR. It arrived in Queenstown in November 2021. It was also expertly flown from Merced, California across the Pacific to its final destination in Queenstown.
We welcomed New Zealand's fist Daher Kodiak 100 Series II. This aircraft also island hopped from the United States across the Pacific to its final destination in Queenstown and has been flying passengers around the South Island since October 2023.
Our latest addition to the fleet is a second Daher Kodiak 100. Our Operations Manager Megan George flew with our ferry pilot from Hawaii across the Pacific to deliver ZK-KDI to New Zealand. Read about her journey here.
This is a Half Day experience. From check in 30 minutes before departure, to landing back at Queenstown Airport, is approximately 5 to 5 1/2 hours. Please note, this does not include time for self-driving or using our complimentary transfers. If you have plans immediately either side of your experience with us, please let us know.
It’s always a good time to fly! If the option is there, we would suggest either our 9.00am or 1.30pm departures. Please note, our 1.30pm departure time is only available at certain times of the year. Whilst we cannot guarantee it, Milford Sound can sometimes be a little bit quieter at these times.
We suggest you bring the following with you to make it a great day out:
Your flights between Queenstown and Milford Sound are approximately 40 minutes each way.
Your Nature Cruise through Milford Sound with our partners Southern Discoveries is 1 hour 45 mins.
No, lunch is not included. When making your booking online, you have the option to add a picnic lunch for an additional cost that will be ready for you on the cruise. We have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options available.
Complimentary tea, coffee and water is available. A selection of small snacks are available to purchase onboard. You are also welcome to bring snacks of your own.
Yes, the cruise has a large indoor area with comfortable seating and tables.
Your cruise through Milford Sound is on a boat with a large open-top deck and comfy interior cabins with full-height windows for optimal viewing. Take in the stunning scenery of Mitre Peak, Stirling Falls, Copper Point, and the Tasman Sea. Keep an eye out for seals, dolphins and penguins.
We would say the cruise is suitable for all ages.
Yes, there is a nappy changing facility onboard the cruise.
Our pilots will always look at the forecast for the full duration of your trip and if we feel like the weather may change, we will not leave Queenstown. Due to the weather-dependent nature of flying in the Southern Alps to Milford Sound, it is unfortunate that there are very rare occasions where the forecast changes on us and although uncommon, it can be a case that we are unable to operate the return flight. The safety of our passengers is always our highest priority and in the unlikely event that this ever occurs, we will arrange coach transfers back to Queenstown. We fully appreciate the inconvenience this will cause and do everything we can to look after our passengers.
