NZ AERO, Aircraft from New Zealand

Saturday 9 August 2025

Early in August, I spotted that a small aircraft had landed at the Norfolk Island International Airport on Saturday 9 August 2025. I took a few photos as the aircraft refuelled.

On Sunday morning, 10 August, I heard the plane departing and checked the flight app, and the pilot was heading to Lord Howe on the island hopping journey to Australia.

I checked out this New Zealand aircraft and information about the logos and registration details:

NZ AERO

Lowe’s Air, New Zealand. Com Licence No. 100899

Tail Number ZK-EPO · Registration

Owner NZSkydive Limited

Aircraft Type PACIFIC AEROSPACE 750XL (single-turboprop) (P750)

Other Logos include:

SUPERPAC and XSTUL

The flight history recorded:

7 Aug 2025 .17 Hamilton to Mercer

8 Aug 2025 1hr Mercer Aerodrome, NZ to Kerikeri (Bay of Islands, NZ)

9 Aug 2025 3hr Keri Keri Bay of Island NZ to Norfolk Island

10 Aug 2025 3hr Norfolk Island to Lord Howe Island

10 Aug 2025 2hr Coolangatta, Gold Coast, Australia

https://www.nzaero.com/superpa...

The NZ AERO is flying to Australia to take part in the Outback Air Race. The link above has information about the flight path and this importance of assisting outback communities in emergencies such as fires, floods and medical events.

Alongside supporting the Royal Flying Doctor Service through the Outback Air Race, this tour is a chance for NZAero to connect with Australia’s aviation community and showcase the SuperPac in person.

At every stop, visitors will have the opportunity to see the aircraft up close, explore its features, and chat with the NZAero team.

Flight demonstrations may be available by arrangement for qualified buyers and operators

Pre-Race Tour (August 4–21)

Starts from Hamilton, New Zealand travelling through Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Is, northern NSW, coastal QLD to Yulara NT.

Outback Air Race 2025

The 2025 race event will start in Yulara NT and finish in Carnarvon WA.

Post-Race Tour (Starting Sept 9)

Begins from Jandakot (WA) and will likely include Albany, Esperance, Nullarbor, Adelaide, Melbourne, Tasmania, Canberra, Sydney and more. Final route still forming — expressions of interest welcome.

These tour dates are a guide and may change depending on weather, flying conditions, or operational needs. If you submit your interest, we’ll be in touch to confirm and keep you updated on any changes.

About the Outback Air Race

The Outback Air Race is a unique long-distance aviation challenge that raises critical funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service — one of the most vital lifelines for remote and regional Australia.

The event brings together pilots, crews, and aircraft from across Australia and New Zealand. Rather than racing for speed, participants compete in a precision navigation trial that spans thousands of kilometres across some of Australia’s most iconic outback landscapes.

NZAero is proud to support this year’s event as Team 27 – Kiwi Express, with pilot Dee Bond at the controls of the SuperPac. The tour and race offer a great opportunity to showcase what the aircraft was built for — operating in remote regions and challenging conditions — while also backing the life-saving work of the Flying Doctor Service.

Here are a few additional details about the New Zealand company NZAero, and I learnt that they manufacture aircrafts in New Zealand.

NZSkydive Ltd, trading as NZAero, is an aircraft manufacturing company based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Along with its predecessors, it has sold more than 700 utility, training and agricultural aircraft.

https://www.nzaero.com/company/history

Our History : NZAero

At NZAero we design and manufacture tough, reliable and easy to maintain aircraft that perform where others can't. Our principles are to manufacture aircraft that are optimised for the jobs they do. We do not design our aircraft to be everything to everybody, we know what we do best and are driven to ensure that we "own" our aircraft for their lifetime. We believe our customers' success drives our success.

It must be interesting flying in smaller aircrafts across the Tasman Sea. The aircraft ZK-EPO journey took over 9 hours from Hamilton, New Zealand to the Gold Coast, Australia, with a few stops along the way. It is always interesting learning about aircrafts which land here on Norfolk Island.

Here are a few photos I took of the P750 NZ Aero aircraft ZK-EPO on Saturday afternoon.

Betty Matthews

22 August 2025