The New Zealand Airline Academy (NZAA) has placed a firm order for 10 Tecnam aircraft, consisting of one multi-engine P2006T Premium edition aircraft plus eight single engine P2008 JC Night VFR and one single engine P-Mentor IFR trainer with RNAV capability and ballistic safety parachute. The P2006T is already flying direct from the factory in Capua, Italy to the NZAA base in Oamaru while the remaining nine are scheduled for delivery starting in the second quarter of 2024.

NZAA holds certifications under Part 141 of the NZ CAA and Part 141 of the AA of Vietnam.

As an exclusive cadet pilot training provider for Air India's group AIX Connect (formerly Air Asia India), NZAA is strategically located in the picturesque locale of Oamaru, North Otago. Three towered airfields with instrument approaches are in close proximity to the base airfield with many more coastal and mountain airfields offering challenging and varied weather conditions that create real-world flying conditions for cadets.

Established in 2018 by two aviation professionals, NZAA started flight training with one Tecnam P2008. Five years later, this 10 aircraft expansion will take its Tecnam fleet to a total of 24 aircraft and overall fleet total to 26 aircraft including two P2006T Twin advanced Multi IFR trainers, a tribute to its two directors who embarked on their commercial pilot training journey in New Zealand over 16 years ago.

"When we set out to establish the New Zealand Airline Academy, we meticulously sought an aircraft that would epitomise excellence in several crucial aspects. Our selection criteria included unparalleled safety features, the ability to endure the rigorous demands of flight training, seamless transition from training aircraft to modern day jets through the latest technology, a commitment to environmental sustainability, local dealer support and cost-effectiveness. Tecnam emerged as the unequivocal winner, embodying each of these criteria effortlessly, making it the clear and optimal choice for our flight school," says CEO and director Jonathan Manuel.

"It is great to see the growth of NZAA," adds Tecnam chief sales officer Walter Da Costa. "It has developed an almost perfect business model for a flight school that is a paradigm for the region and the world. This model is based on the Tecnam fleet and we are very proud of this, because our vision for 75 years has been exactly this: the production of simple but modern, safe and economically attractive aircraft for every flight school."