New Zealand’s CAA Grounds Sunair Aviation

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority has grounded regional carrier Sunair Aviation following a maintenance audit around three weeks ago. The ten-day grounding runs through to July 23, 2025.

“There were some issues identified,” Sunair CEO Doug Roberts told local media outlets. Specifically, the airline did not maintain some records in the manner required by the CAA.

Roberts said the CAA told him that Sunair needed more “robustness and rigour” in its record keeping. However, he also says the safety regulator was helpful rather than punitive.

“They withdrew the (air operator’s) certificate for ten working days to get the issues rectified.”

“Our position is that they are not critical issues,” added Roberts. “It is really about improving the rigour of our maintenance. Once rectified, I have no concerns about the safety of the operation.”

Sunair operates six-passenger Piper PA-23 Aztecs and three four-passenger Cessna 172s. It normally operates scheduled flights to Aotea/Great Barrier Island (GBZ), Gisborne (GIS), Hamilton (HLZ), Kaitaia (KAT), Napier (NPE), Tauranga (TRG), Wairoa (WIR), Whakatāne (WHK), and Whitianga (WTZ).

Roberts says other carriers have stepped in to maintain most Sunair services, with Air Gisborne doing the bulk of the work.

“The director of civil aviation has suspended the airworthiness certificates for aircraft operated by Sunair Aviation for safety reasons,” reads a Civil Aviation Authority statement. “We’re working with Sunair Aviation to address the safety concerns, which will help inform our next steps.“

This is Sunair Aviation’s third grounding in less than a decade. In 2016, it paused all flights for six days after the Civil Aviation Authority raised concerns about its management structure.

The following year, the airline suspended flights for six months after the CAA flagged maintenance and other issues.

Sunair is privately owned by Dan Power, who is currently the carrier’s flight operations manager after being its CEO for 33 years through to 2018. Aero South Pacific has recently reported that Sunair was a potential investor in Tonga's Lulutai Airlines.