New look for Air Whanganui

from Celebrating Whanganui - Spring/Summer Oct 2022

Backcountry workers making a difference

Air Whanganui reveals new-look plane, with plans to add another and hangar.

Aredesign for one of Air Whanganui’s planes, as well as plans for a new hangar and plane for its fleet, marked a five-year period of growth for the company with even more to come, according to the company’s chief executive.

Air Whanganui chief executive Dean Martin said the rebranding was needed as the business had used the same brand for the past 37 years, when it was originally known as Air Whanganui Commuter Ltd. Since then, Martin said the business had changed to become more of an air ambulance service for Whanganui and the surrounding regions.

“We’ve grown dramatically over the last 5 1/2 years, even during Covid, so the business is looking to expand further,” Martin said. As part of that growth, Air Whanganui is currently in the consent process for a new hangar. Along with the construction of the hangar, Martin said the company was looking into adding a new plane to its fleet. “We are looking into future investments and an aircraft is on the agenda,” he said.

The new hangar, plane and staff uniforms would be adorned with the rebranding already painted on one of their planes. Martin said Air Whanganui had been working on the rebrand for the past 12 months, and community feedback had been positive. The new colours reflect the new aspects of the service and of Whanganui, according to Martin.

Martin said the dark colour on the wings and tail acknowledged the service’s history and their past design, the dark blue represented the Whanganui river while the light blue the sky, whereas the bright red stood for the air ambulance service they provide. Martin hoped the rebranding would reflect the values of both the company and the wider Whanganui region. “Our care in the air is what we’re about and, as we rebrand the planes, I think that’ll reflect as we go around the regions, and it’s good for the city of Whanganui as well,” he said.

Martin gave thanks to Wellington’s Homegrown Creative for helping with the design and Hamilton Aero Maintenance for painting the plane. He also thanked the wider Air Whanganui team, which had the final say on the design and continued to provide services during what he described as a busy time. “Once we got that concept from Homegrown, the team had their input as well to make sure it reflects what they do on a dayto-day basis. It was not just one person that came up with it, it was the whole team, really.” By Finn Williams.