How Air Chathams builds on technology to scale

Air Chathams chose CitizenPlane as its tech partner to grow its activity and support its business transition. We sat with Duane Emeny, the CEO of the family-run airline, to look back on our partnership and the impact it had on scaling up their operations.

A fast-growing airline…

Founded over 40 years ago by Duane Emeny's father, Air Chathams has grown from a single-aircraft operation into one of New Zealand's most important regional carriers. Still wholly family-owned, the airline now operates a fleet of Saab 340s, ATR-72s, and smaller aircraft serving the remote Chatham Islands and other underserved regions.

"We're not massive, but we're significant," says Duane Emeny, CEO. "We have 160 staff, and we're the only other Part 121 RPT carrier in New Zealand besides the national airline."

Their expansion has been driven by agility and community need, picking up routes abandoned by larger carriers and running services across the South Pacific. But as the airline grew, its technology began to hold it back.

…held back by static systems

The tipping point came when Air Chathams realised their existing Passenger Service System could not support dynamic pricing, fare nesting, or distribution through global channels.

"We needed to evolve from fixed fares to a more flexible, scalable model," says Emeny. "And our visibility outside of the regions was low. We needed GDS access to compete in bigger markets like Auckland."

The airline chose CitizenPlane for its core capabilities around dynamic fare structures and GDS connectivity, and more generally for its flexibility to adapt to Air Chatham’s specific operations.

Modular partnership to meet the airline’s needs

The partnership entered its next phase with the launch of an interline agreement with Air New Zealand. Starting with the Auckland-Whakatane route, the integration enables seamless booking and passenger protection across both carriers, a meaningful step for remote communities with limited travel options.

"We hope to expand that across our domestic network soon," says Emeny. "Eventually, we want international connectivity, and this is the first big step."

The modularity of CitizenPlane’s Zenith platform is central to that roadmap. Third party modules integrate without friction, and as the industry moves toward Modern Airline Retailing, the architecture is ready for it.

"It's robust, flexible, and open," says Emeny. "That kind of modularity means we're future-proofed."

Regional aviation, without limits

The relationship went well beyond platform deployment, and it also held during COVID, when Air Chathams faced severe financial pressure alongside the rest of the industry.

"I called and said, 'We're struggling.' They came back with a significant discount and kept it going even after we resumed flying," says Emeny. "You don't forget that."

For Air Chathams, CitizenPlane offers the ideal solution: technology that aligns with their growth ambitions without requiring the massive resources typically needed by a major airline.

"We're small, but we need big solutions. And with CitizenPlane, we've found a team that listens, adapts, and builds with us," says Emeny.

Want CitizenPlane to support your upcoming projects? Get in touch