Glenorchy Air is very excited to announce that we have secured a 2020 Daher Kodiak 100 Turboprop to add to our modern fleet of aircraft. This aircraft will be the first example of a Kodiak operating commercially in New Zealand. The aircraft will be registered as ZK-KDK.
Managing Director James Stokes and Safety Manager Michael Rutherford will travel to the United States to receive Daher approved pilot training at the end of July.
The Daher Kodiak 100 is a modern and efficient 10 seat aircraft with an advanced wing design and a well proven 750SHP Pratt and Whitney Canada PT-6A-34 engine, giving it excellent climb and cruise performance as well as exceptional short takeoff and landing performance. This makes it an ideal platform for our operations, particularly from the Glenorchy airstrip and other shorter airstrips. The engine is capable of running on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), when this becomes available. This was an important factor in selecting the aircraft as we intend to be the first Queenstown-based operator to use SAF in our turbine aircraft.
As with all of our aircraft, every passenger has a window seat to take in the iconic scenery of Fiordland and the Southern Alps.
Our new Kodiak will fly all of the Glenorchy Air flight paths, with a particular focus on Milford Sound and Mt. Cook, which has seen increased demand since the New Zealand borders reopened in 2022. This aircraft fits in well with our versatile and modern fleet of Cessna and GippsAero aircraft.
Our newest fleet addition will be ferried across the Pacific to Performance Aviation in Wanaka once delivery preparation work is complete. After additional training and regulatory approval in New Zealand, we expect it will be operational by the end of October 2023.
To learn more about our current fleet, click here.
