Sunair Grounded Over Safety Breach – Barrier Flights Still Operating via Charter

Flights to and from Great Barrier Island are continuing—just not with Sunair.

The regional airline, which serves the island from Ardmore, Whitianga, Whangārei and Tauranga, has been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after a maintenance audit uncovered failings in its record-keeping.

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While Sunair is barred from flying its aircraft for at least ten working days—until July 23—its scheduled services to Great Barrier are still being flown by a charter operator. Sunair confirmed that alternative arrangements are in place to ensure no passengers are stranded.

“We’re still able to provide a significant number of services, albeit with another operator in the interim,” said chief executive Doug Roberts.

The suspension follows a recent audit in which the CAA “identified some issues,” Roberts told NZME. “Effectively in layman’s terms, it’s the WoF [Warrant of Fitness] for the aircraft. The relevant details were basically deemed not to have been recorded the way the authority wanted.”

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The CAA confirmed it is investigating “aviation-related concerns regarding the maintenance and safety of the aircraft.” A spokesperson said: “The Director of Civil Aviation has suspended the airworthiness certificates for aircraft operated by Sunair Aviation Ltd for safety reasons while we address these concerns.”

Sunair operates a small fleet of five twin-engine Piper Aztecs and three single-engine Cessna 172s across the upper North Island. Alongside Great Barrier, its destinations include Gisborne, Napier, Whakatāne, Wairoa, Hamilton and Kaitāia.

It’s not the airline’s first brush with regulators. In 2017, Sunair was grounded for six months over similar concerns about maintenance and documentation. The previous year, the CAA halted flights for several days over questions about whether the airline had the right management structure to support its growth.

Still, Roberts said the relationship with the regulator remained professional. “They’ve been incredibly helpful. It’s not a combative environment.”

Passengers with bookings over the next fortnight will be automatically rebooked onto replacement flights.

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