132 | AVIATION Air Milford T T Aimee Wilson Air Milford celebrates proud history Air Milford’s Antony and Hank Sproull: long-term players in aviation tourism in the Southern Lakes. Air Milford’s Hank Sproull was recently recognised as the longest-serving active member in the Wakatipu aviation industry. Today, the 71-year-old pilot and engineer, his wife Kerrie and his youngest son Antony, are continuing a family legacy. The Aviation Industry Association New Zealand (AIANZ) also recognised his contribution to the development of the industry with an individual award in September. Air Milford was established in 1998 as a partnership, and co-founder Dave Bunn sold his share to the Sproulls in the year 2000. Hank, an ex-Mount Cook aircraft engineer and pilot of almost 30 years, has a rare talent, in that he can fix and pilot his own aeroplanes. In 2005, the company made a major investment with the purchase of a turbo-prop Cessna Caravan aircraft, ZK-SKB – a first for Queenstown, at a price of NZ$1.25 million. “That seemed a lot of money back then,” Antony says, and his father had to work hard to convince UDC’s Southland & Otago’s regional manager Gavin Hawke, to lend him the funds. Fast forward 20 years, and the purchase of three additional Cessna Caravans, two new and one second-hand, enables Air Milford to now cater for 50 passengers in one movement. Antony joined his father in 2011 and obtained his commercial pilot’s licence in 2014. The business has since grown, and they have invested hugely in their staff, this year gaining Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) status with Immigration NZ. When Queenstown Airport celebrated 90 years recently, as Air Milford CEO Hank was invited to the stage to cut the cake, pleased that Air Milford is “still flying high”. The company’s personalised sightseeing service covers anywhere from Martins Bay to Stewart Island, Milford Sound, the glaciers, and also offers private charters. “We’ll go to remote locations that the big guys don’t go, and to this day we haven’t lost sight of that,” Antony says. But when Covid-19 hit, they lost their income overnight, and even afterwards, with international visitor numbers still low, they had to think strategically. Searching elsewhere for new markets, they started taking Southlanders to explore new destinations. However, the business has now gone full circle and is back servicing the international tourist market, which has returned to Queenstown. Antony says in recent years the numbers of sightseers wanting to head into Milford South has surpassed that of pre-pandemic levels, and last summer saw a record 101% increase in growth. The size and scale of the business can make life challenging, though, including changes to concessions they have to work through with DOC and other state-owned enterprises, such as Civil Aviation and Airways NZ. And then there’s the weather, with all its unpredictability. “We are the farmers of the sky, and weather has a major bearing on the success of the business,” Antony says. Thankfully, Hank’s 53 years of experience have come in handy to make smart decisions, and Air Milford is proud of its 100% safety record. We’re proud to support Air Milford Haydon Cunninghame | Jono Cole Queenstown | 03 441 0616 awslegal.co.nz | 0800 100 151
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