New Zealand National Airways Corporation
Type Registration Name Location/Operator Notes
Boeing 737-200 ZK-NAD Pukeko Located at Charlotte , North Carolina First 737 in service for NAC . Last used as a training hulk . Originally thought to have been scrapped in 2016 , it was discovered to be still intact in late 2017 . There is now a major campaign to secure it for preservation in New Zealand
de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth ZK-ASP Mimiro Located at Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre , Mandeville Formerly registered as ZK-ADI and carries this registration again . Flown by NAC 1948 - 1953
de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide ZK-AHS Mokai Located at MOTAT , Auckland Formerly ZK-AGT Neptune for Cook Strait Airways
De Havilland DH.89B Dominie ZK-AKY Tui Located at Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre , Mandeville
De Havilland DH.89B Dominie ZK-ALB Tikaka Located at NSW , Australia Now registered as VH-UTV
de Havilland Heron 1B ZK-BBM Matapouri Located at Classic Flyers Museum , Tauranga In Towable Condition
Douglas DC-3 Skyliner ZK-APK Poaka / Kaikohe Located at Mangaweka , Rangitikei Painted to advertise the Mangaweka Adventure Company
Douglas DC-3 ZK-AQP Peho Operated by Lee County , Florida , USA Former dedicated freight role from 1947 to 1966 ( NAC Freightair ) . Currently in use for anti-mosquito , chemical spraying role . Currently registered as N146RD and converted to turbo-prop configuration
Douglas DC-3 Skyliner ZK-AWP Powhaitere / Kaitaia Operated by Air Chatham Limited In Service with NZNAC livery , repainted Late 2019
Douglas DC-3 ZK-BKD Kotare Located at Smash Palace Bar , Gisborne Ex- Australian National Airways . Became Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company 's first DC-3
Douglas DC-3 Skyliner ZK-BQK Koreke / New Plymouth Located at MOTAT , Auckland
Fokker F27-100 Friendship ZK-BXG Kea Located at Ferrymead , Christchurch Incomplete
Fokker F27-100 Friendship ZK-BXH Koropio Located at National Transport & Toy Museum , Wanaka Painted in Air New Zealand colours . Was used in Christchurch as a cabin trainer for several years after withdrawal from active service
Fokker F27-100 Friendship ZK-BXI Kotare Located at the Aviation Museum in the Chatham Islands Incomplete
Fokker F27-100 Friendship ZK-NAH Kawatere Located at Aviodrome , Lelystad Now registered PH-FHF . Painted in the colours of NLM CityHopper
Vickers Viscount 807 ZK-BRF City of Christchurch Located at Ferrymead , Christchurch Has small shamrock painted on the starboard nose undercarriage door
Surviving aircraft
Ex-NAC Dragon Rapides , Fox Moths , and DC-3s still fly in private and charter operator hands . Below is a list of known aircraft that flew with NAC .
New Zealand National Airways Corporation, popularly known as NAC, was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand. The airline was headquartered in Wellington. NAC was itself a government-led amalgamation of RNZAF 40 Transport Squadron, Union Airways and a number of other smaller operators, including the country's first commercial air service Air Travel (NZ) Ltd. At the time of its inception (1945), it was equipped with de Havilland Dragon Rapides, de Havilland Fox Moths, Douglas DC-3s, Lockheed Electras, Lockheed Lodestars, and one de Havilland Express which latter was returned to the RNZAF before the official 1947 inaugural start date. Although chiefly a domestic airline, in late 1947 NAC also provided international services to some nearby South Pacific countries, using converted ex-Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Short Sunderland IIIs, as well as long-range Douglas DC-3Ds to Fiji via Norfolk Island. By the time of the merger with Air New Zealand, the fleet consisted of 25 aircraft comprising Boeing 737s and Fokker F27s. Engineering workshops were set up at Christchurch, Whenuapai (Auckland), Palmerston North, Gisborne and Nelson.