New Zealand launches first "winery airline"
Sipping a glass of bubbly has become a contentious issue on airplanes in recent years, with some airlines banning alcohol on flights altogether.
But, a New Zealand wine company has taken a different approach by launching the “world’s first winery airline”.
Invivo Wines’ co-founders Tim Lightbourne and Robin Cameron announced that Invivo Air’s maiden voyage from Auckland to Queenstown will take off early this year using a 34-seater, Swedish-built Saab plane.
Though the flight will take close to two hours, it will be part of a 24-hour experience that includes a visit to Invivo’s growers in Central Otago and a stay at The Hilton Queenstown.
“Obviously, there will be some complimentary wines served on board, as well as some non-alcoholic drinks,” Lightbourne said.
“There’ll be a range of Invivo wines available and maybe Rob and I will be serving it to the guests on the flight. It should be a lot of fun.”
The pair decided to launch the “Invivo Air” to celebrate the reopening of Auckland’s borders after the city went into a 119-day lockdown due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
They also hope to promote domestic tourism and support members of Auckland’s hospitality sector, which was hard-hit during lockdown.
Half of the seats will be complimentary, with priority given to hospitality and tourism staff who have been impacted by Auckland’s lockdown, as well as New Zealand residents who haven’t been able to see family or friends on the South Island and Invivo shareholders.
“A lot of the restaurants have been shut in Auckland for some time,” Lightbourne explained. “So it’s been pretty hard. We’d like to reward some of those hospitality staff with a flight down to Queenstown, which is one of our major tourism destinations.”
The tourist hotspot has also been heavily impacted by the pandemic, with an average of 60 percent of its three million annual visitors unable to visit due to international border restrictions.
Unsurprisingly, the Invivo team has encountered some difficulties in setting up their airline from scratch.
“We’ve had to talk to some people in the industry about the goings on and the challenges and that sort of stuff,” Lightbourne said.
“It’s a trial for us. But the feedback has been positive. There have been thousands of people registering. We could have sold out the flight 100 times over.”
Though the maiden flight is a “trial” run, Lightbourne said the team plan to start regular flights on the Auckland to Queenstown route, with the hope of adding new destinations in the future.
“We have vineyards in Marlborough, which is also the South Island,” he added. “And in the North Island, we have some in the Hawke’s Bay region and Gisborne. We’d love to get some flights out that way later on this year, hopefully.”
With half of the seats being given away, the remainder will be available to purchase, though seat prices are yet to be determined.
Image: @invivowines (Instagram)