[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":72},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-how-air-chathams-builds-on-technology-to-scale":3},{"id":4,"slug":5,"categories":6,"title":11,"excerpt":12,"date":13,"dateIso":14,"featuredOnProducts":15,"isFeatured":17,"author":18,"body":23,"mainImage":66,"thumbnail":69},"alnotREAAC0ASo7Y","how-air-chathams-builds-on-technology-to-scale",[7],{"slug":8,"name":9,"subCategory":10},"stories","Customer Stories","Airline Stories","How Air Chathams builds on technology to scale","Air Chathams grows its airline with CitizenPlane as its tech partner","April 20, 2026","2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z",[16],"Zenith",false,{"name":19,"role":20,"bio":21,"avatar":22},"Marie Bonnefous","Communications Manager","Marie tells you the story of CitizenPlane: its history, its vision and its milestones","https://images.prismic.io/citizenplane/aYmKDORdVGd83vnj_marie-bonnefous.png?auto=format,compress",[24,27,30,32,34,36,38,40,42,44,46,48,50,52,54,56,58,60,62,64],{"type":25,"html":26},"paragraph","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.",{"type":28,"html":29},"heading","\u003Cstrong>A fast-growing airline…\u003C/strong>",{"type":25,"html":31},"Founded\u003Cstrong> over 40 years ago\u003C/strong> by Duane Emeny's father, Air Chathams has grown from a single-aircraft operation into \u003Cstrong>one of New Zealand's most important regional carriers\u003C/strong>. 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.",{"type":25,"html":33},""We're not massive, but we're significant," says Duane Emeny, CEO. "We have 160 staff, and \u003Cstrong>we're the only other Part 121 RPT carrier in New Zealand\u003C/strong> besides the national airline."",{"type":25,"html":35},"Their expansion has been driven by \u003Cstrong>agility and community need,\u003C/strong> 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.",{"type":28,"html":37},"\u003Cstrong>…held back by static systems\u003C/strong>",{"type":25,"html":39},"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.",{"type":25,"html":41},""We needed to evolve from fixed fares to a \u003Cstrong>more flexible, scalable model\u003C/strong>," says Emeny. "And our visibility outside of the regions was low. \u003Cstrong>We needed GDS access to compete\u003C/strong> in bigger markets like Auckland."",{"type":25,"html":43},"\u003Cstrong>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.\u003C/strong>",{"type":25,"html":45},"\u003Cstrong>Modular partnership to meet the airline’s needs\u003C/strong>",{"type":25,"html":47},"The partnership entered its next phase with the\u003Cstrong> launch of an interline agreement with Air New Zealand.\u003C/strong> 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.",{"type":25,"html":49},""We hope to expand that across our domestic network soon," says Emeny. "Eventually, we want international connectivity, and this is the first big step."",{"type":25,"html":51},"The\u003Cstrong> modularity of CitizenPlane’\u003C/strong>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.",{"type":25,"html":53},""It's \u003Cstrong>robust, flexible, and open\u003C/strong>," says Emeny. "That kind of modularity means we're future-proofed."",{"type":28,"html":55},"\u003Cstrong>Regional aviation, without limits\u003C/strong>",{"type":25,"html":57},"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.",{"type":25,"html":59},""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."",{"type":25,"html":61},"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.",{"type":25,"html":63},""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.",{"type":25,"html":65},"\u003Cem>Want CitizenPlane to support your upcoming projects?\u003C/em>\u003Cem>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.citizenplane.com/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Get in touch\u003C/a>\u003C/em>",{"url":67,"alt":68},"https://images.prismic.io/citizenplane/qJpm1X6t__G9YeE0_AirChathamsmain.png?auto=format,compress","Air Chathams plane on tarmac\n\n",{"url":70,"alt":71},"https://images.prismic.io/citizenplane/ow1kDbUX5cZILZ-2_AirChathams.png?auto=format,compress","Air Chathams plane on tarmac",1789490213000]