Originair (Nelson, NZ) commenced commercial operations on Wednesday, August 12 with flights between Nelson, NZ and Palmerston North. Operations are on-board a pair of Jetstream 32s.

Owned by Air Nelson (Nelson, NZ) founder Bob Inglis, Originair is also planning to serve Christchurch and Wellington in the near future.

Meanwhile, fellow start-up Kiwi Regional Airlines (Hamilton, NZ) has announced an October 27 launch date with flights connecting Dunedin, Queenstown International, Nelson, and Hamilton, NZ. The carrier says its maiden aircraft - an ex-SprintAir (P8, Warsaw Chopin) Saab 340A (cn 340A-065) - will arrive in New Zealand next month in time for the launch.

Both carriers are expected to encounter stiff competition from Jetstar Airways (JQ, Melbourne Airport) which plans to deploy a fleet of five Eastern Australia Airlines (EAQ, Tamworth) DHC-8-300s on domestic New Zealand flights beginning this December.