INFLITE Expands – Acquires Skydive & Scenic Flight Operators

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INFLITE, one of New Zealand’s leading aviation tourism companies, has greatly expanded its skydive operations today announcing the acquisition of Skydive Abel Tasman and in September, the opening of Skydive Mt Cook. Nelson Tasman Air also joins INFLITE, adding to its scenic flight experiences throughout New Zealand.

The new businesses complement existing operations Skydive Franz Josef, Mount Cook Ski Planes and Helicopters, INFLITE Taupo, INFLITE Auckland and INFLITE Charters.

Skydive Abel Tasman has been operated by founder Stuart Bean for almost 30 years.  A life-long skydiver who did his first jump at age 19, Bean’s now regarded as amongst the best in the business with more than 17,000 skydives to his name and is also a commercial pilot with over 3000 hours. Bean will remain involved with the business.

Says Bean, “I am delighted to have the business transfer to a company with the same culture and values I share with the team in Abel Tasman. My staff are looking forward to the opportunities that a nationwide operator can bring and have really supported me through the process. I believe the company is in good hands with a bright future ahead.”

The acquisition of Skydive Abel Tasman adds a dedicated and experienced team of skydive staff to the existing INFLITE team, along with an additional Pilatus PC-6 Porter to its fleet.

Nelson Tasman Air offer stunning scenic flights in both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft flying into the Abel Tasman National Park. This business complements Skydive Abel Tasman, located side-by-side at Motueka Airport.

Skydive Mt Cook will open in September 2019 in a brand-new purpose-built facility at Pukaki Airport. INFLITE has operated Mount Cook Ski Planes and Helicopters since 2015.

INFLITE CEO Adam Joyce says, “INFLITE is embarking on an exciting period of growth.  These are significant developments for us and have been in the works for some time. This greatly expands our product offering in New Zealand and cements our commitment to delivering incredible visitor experiences. We’re thrilled to welcome the teams at Skydive Abel Tasman and Nelson Tasman Air into the company.”

Skydive Abel Tasman is a unique and unforgettable freefall experience, offering incredible views of both the North and South Islands.  At Skydive Mt Cook, visitors will be able to choose from 9,000ft, 13,000ft or 16,500ft jumps with views of Aoraki/Mt Cook, Lake Pukaki, Lake Tekapo, both the East and West Coasts and Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

Say’s Joyce, “By combining and sharing expertise and knowledge across all our locations, will enable us to improve the quality and increase capacity of all of our experiences. Having multiple successful businesses under the umbrella of INFLITE offers our customers variety and choice, with a consistent customer experience”.

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Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters Selected as a Finalist in the 100% Pure Experience Awards

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We’re delighted to have been annouced as a finalist in the Qualmark New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Experience Awards. The Ultimate Alpine Experience with our Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters base offers an unforgettable experience combining scenic flights in two aircraft types with a landing on the Tasman Glacier (NZ’s longest).

About the Pilatus Porter PC-6

The PC-6 is noted for its Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) performance on almost any type of terrain – it can take off within a distance of 640 feet (195 m) and land within a distance of 427 feet (130 m) while carrying a payload of 2,646 lbs (1,200 kg). Thanks to its STOL performance, the PC-6 holds the world record for highest landing by a fixed-wing aircraft, at 18,865 feet (5,750 m), on the Dhaulagiri glacier in Nepal.

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Skydive Franz Go To New Heights – 20,000ft and Qualmark Gold

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Skydive Franz, one of New Zealand’s leading skydive operators have announced NZ’s Highest Skydive – 20,000 ft above Franz Josef Glacier.

The 20,000 ft Skydive replaces the 19,000 ft Skydive where customers will get over 85 seconds of freefall once they’ve jumped (willingly, or unwillingly) from 20,000 ft above the Franz Josef Glacier.

Skydive Franz are NZ’s most experienced high-altitude operators and have been skydiving from these heights since 2010. They pioneered the 20,000 ft skydive – the first company in New Zealand to jump from that height back in 2013 to set a new New Zealand Record.

Nestled between New Zealand’s highest mountains, the Tasman Sea, stunning temperate rainforest, glowing glaciers and braided river beds; Franz Josef Glacier has been described as one of the most beautiful places on earth. For this reason and many others, the region was included in the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.

Skydive Franz have also been awarded Qualmark Gold – the highest level achievable. A Gold Sustainable Tourism Award identifies those businesses leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world class sustainable visitor destination.

Qualmark Advisor Ian Elliot said he admired the company’s approach to maintaining businesses excellence. “There is clear evidence of Skydive Franz having sophisticated levels of planning, management and operations. This is a national operation with a strong commitment to growth and performance.”

INFLITE CEO, Adam Joyce is proud of both these achievements which have been the result of the company’s high-performance culture. “Our team pioneered high altitude skydiving in New Zealand, so jumping from 20,000 ft is a natural progression, after almost 10 years of jumping so high in the sky.”

“Achieving Qualmark Gold is great confirmation for our team that they are performing at the highest level. We’re particularly proud of our Service Standards, Health & Safety, Regulatory Compliance, Marketing Planning and Staff Engagement which were acknowledged as representing Best Business Practice.”

Joyce says the diverse product mix that INFLITE has on offer has something for everyone.
“Skydive Franz is a natural fit in our portfolio of tourism experiences. Within our group, guests have a range of options to choose from – fly to Waiheke Island and dine at a winery, fly over the Tongariro National Park in a Helicopter, land on the Tasman Glacier in a Ski Plane, and now they can do a  20,000 ft Skydive.”

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INFLITE Acquire Skydive Franz Josef

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INFLITE, one of New Zealand’s leading aviation tourism companies with bases across New Zealand have today announced the purchase of Skydive Franz Josef Glacier, the country’s only skydive operator to offer the thrilling 19,000ft skydive.

Flying from the popular West Coast town of Franz Josef, jumpers are able to freefall from 19,000ft above the Westland & Aoraki/Mt Cook National Parks’ which form part of the Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

The Skydive Franz operation adds  a dedicated team of Skydive staff to the INFLITE team and Pilatus PC-6 Porter to the fleet of ski planes and helicopters currently operated across INFLITE’s base network. The Pilatus Porter joins its 2 sister ships which are currently operated from their Aoraki / Mt Cook base – just a 20 minute flight away.

INFLITE is not planning any changes to the team or brand as part of the purchase but Skydive Franz will gain the benefit of the additional sales, marketing and operational support. In further support the owners, James Meldrum and Craig Clark will be staying on with the business in their current roles.

INFLITE CEO, Adam Joyce is excited to welcome the staff and business into the INFLITE family.

“This is a very exciting development for us which further expands our product offering in New Zealand and cements our commitment within the tourism industry, particularly in the South Island. The Skydive Franz business is a great fit for us and we are excited to add this product to our amazing suite of unique experiences.”

This West Coast is the fastest growing tourism region in New Zealand with total tourism spend was up 12% up for the year to January 2018, which is 5% higher than the growth reported across the whole of the country.

INFLITE South Island Business Manager Lisa Chambers says the acquisition paves the way for linking two very significant natural attractions. “We are too very excited to welcome this excellent business into the INFLITE family. It opens up so much opportunity both on the West Coast and here in Aoraki Mt. Cook. We will have the ability to share resources as well as knowledge and expertise from both sides of the divide. It will add another unique concept and product to our portfolio which will both support and help grow our businesses and the teams that work within them.”

INFLITE’s focus has been around developing its sustainability program over the past 12 months and are excited to incorporate the Skydive Franz long standing relationship with the Kea Conservation Trust into the program. The added hours that Skydive Franz fly will be good news for the number of trees INFLITE plant with Motutapu Restoration Trust on Motutapu Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf. Already this year, close to 1000 trees have been planted on this pest-free island by INFLITE. INFLITE was also proud to receive the Qualmark Gold award from Tourism New Zealand with this programme being one of the key contributors.

Says Joyce, “Our aircraft generate carbon emissions, so it was imperative that we did something about it. We’re committed to reducing our impact on the environment and making our business and those we partner with, more sustainable. Part of this commitment, which alongside joining the Tourism Industry Aotearoa Tourism Sustainability Commitment involves us partnering with the trust to plant a tree for every hour we fly.”

“Additionally, we have given our customers the option to extend this commitment by purchasing their own tree when they book an experience with us. We’re seeing a very generous number of our customers include this option and will extend the offering to Skydive Franz experiences before the end of the season.”

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