Freedom Air / Warner Bros livery

Freedom Air is the budget airline part of Air New Zealand [New Zealand's flag carrier]. One of its aircraft has a pretty awesome Warner Bros livery on it. I've been trying for ages to get some decent pictures of it. Usually I'm too slow, or the camera crashes on startup [yep, it's a digital camera!].

Anyway, finally got some reasonable shots. Here they are:. I think that the last one shows the scheme off the best:

WAC Open Day 2009 #11: Air New Zealand Boeing B737-3U3

This second-last post in the series from the Wellington Aero Club open day 2009 is the Air New Zealand Boeing 737-3U3, ZK-FRE. This aircraft is most noticeable for it's unusual [for Air New Zealand] Air New Zealand Holidays paint scheme. Other Air New Zealand aircraft are white, with a blue tail [including Koru emblem]. Air New Zealand owned aircraft also have the Pacific Wave on the fuselage. Details on the Air New Zealand fleet are available on their website, just click here.

ZK-FRE was one of the original aircraft in the Air New Zealand LCC subsidiary, Freedom Air, which has since been wound up. I understand that ZK-FRE itself is about to finish its lease during May, so this may be one of the last times I get to see it before [presumably] heading off-shore. We shall see.

Anyway, to the aircraft. These are a series of outside pictures from various angles, followed by three pictures of the cockpit. The final picture is of the distinctive Air New Zealand Koru emblem. Big thanks to Air New Zealand for sending the aircraft along for the afternoon and a special thank you to the flight, cabin and ground crews who made it all happen on the day [and made us feel very welcome]!

Air New Zealand's Mean Green Holiday Machine

Here is a quick snap of the Air New Zealand Holidays green paint scheme. This aircraft [ZK-FRE] was an original Freedom Air [Air New Zealand's original nuts and cola type airline] aircraft before they were re-equipped with A320's, then disbanded and re-absorbed in it's parent earlier last year.

Click this link to find all my blog references to Freedom Air including some of the very interesting Warner Bros paint schemes.

"Freedom" A320

Here is a picture of a "Freedom Air" [part of the Air New Zealand group] A320 at Wellington. Given that Freedom is being fully merged/subsumed into Air New Zealand proper shortly, it's only a short period of time before this scheme disappears for good.

Lime Green Boeing

I was sitting in the lounge at Wellington Aero Club earlier today when a lime-green Air New Zealand B737 landed. An ugly colour, but sure to attract attention. It seesm that Air New Zealand have decided to advertise their ability to organise holiday packages, and what better than on an aircraft?

This particular aircraft is ZK-FRE. ZK-FRE was one of the original Freedom Air aircraft [from when that airline was set up by Air New Zealand to crush their new-found competition in Kiwi Travel International Airlines]. This is at least the 3rd paint scheme from that time, the original being Freedom's bright yellow colour, the next Air New Zealand's white with blue tail, and now this one.

Freedom Air

This is a picture of a Freedom Air [essentially Air New Zealand] A320 taking off from Wellington. Nice paint job!

More pics...

I must be keen - more pictures from Wellington. Pictures are Freedom Air A320, Qantas B737, Airwork SA227, Mt Cook ATR 72 and looking down the taxi way (see, it can almost get busy here!).

Enjoy!

Right next to the airport...

I moved to Wellington at the end of December and shifted into a house right next to the airport. Some people think that I'm nuts [hard to believe, I know :-)], but such is life.

It's really not too noisy, there are comparatively few larger aircraft [B737/A320 or larger] around, most of them are smaller, and anyway, I like planes!

I have big windows that allow me to see much of what is happening. Yippee!!!!

Here are a couple of photos. So far I've missed the Freedom Air aircraft [budget airline, brightly coloured aircraft].