Air New Zealand History: From TEAL Flying Boats to the 787 – Airline Employee Shop

Air New Zealand History

Air New Zealand began as TEAL, a wartime flying-boat link across the Tasman Sea, and grew into a global airline known for the koru on its tail. Here's a short history of Air New Zealand and TEAL, plus the Air New Zealand collection that celebrates it.

TEAL and the flying boats (1940-1960)

Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) was founded on 26 April 1940. Its first owners were the New Zealand government, Union Airways, BOAC and Qantas. On 30 April 1940 the Short S.30 flying boat Aotearoa flew from Mechanics Bay in Auckland to Rose Bay in Sydney. After the war, the New Zealand and Australian governments shared ownership equally. Short Solent flying boats arrived in 1949. From 27 December 1951 the Solents flew the Coral Route from Auckland to Tahiti, stopping in Fiji, Samoa and the Cook Islands. The last Coral Route flight returned to Auckland on 15 September 1960.

Landplanes and a new name (1954-1977)

Douglas DC-6 landplanes joined TEAL in 1954, followed by Lockheed Electras in 1959. New Zealand took full ownership in 1961, when Australia sold its shares. On 1 April 1965, TEAL became Air New Zealand. The Douglas DC-8, the airline's first jet, entered service with the new name and opened routes to Los Angeles and Honolulu. Wide-body DC-10s followed in 1973.

One national airline (1978-2000)

In 1978 the domestic National Airways Corporation (NAC) merged into Air New Zealand. On 28 November 1979, Flight 901, a DC-10 sightseeing flight over Antarctica, flew into Mount Erebus, and all 257 people aboard were killed. The government and the airline formally apologised in 2019. Air New Zealand was privatised in 1989 and joined Star Alliance in March 1999.

Rescue and renewal (2001-today)

In September 2001 Air New Zealand's Australian subsidiary, Ansett Australia, collapsed. In October 2001 the New Zealand government approved a NZ$885 million rescue and took a majority stake. The airline rebuilt and became the launch customer for the Boeing 787-9, taking delivery of the first one on 9 July 2014.

A few things collectors love

  • The koru, a stylised fern frond unfolding, arrived with the DC-10s in 1973 and is still on the tail today.
  • TEAL's first flying boat, Aotearoa, carried the Maori name for New Zealand on the very first Auckland to Sydney service in 1940.
  • The Coral Route flying boats made island-hopping trips to Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tahiti for nearly nine years.

Shop Air New Zealand

Browse Air New Zealand logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Air New Zealand collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for a gift any Air New Zealand fan will enjoy.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com is an independent retailer of airline memorabilia. This page is for historical interest and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Air New Zealand.