1965: V-Jet Day
April 10, 2025
By AHNZ
Today in history, 10 April, 1965, New Zealand entered the international V-Jet air cargo network. Scheduled jet services now ran with Qantas Empire Airways between Christchurch and Sydney using the Boeing 707. We called it “V-Jet Day.”
“Commanded by Captain “Torchy” Uren and crewed by Kiwis Bob Bishop, Alan Williams, and Alan Gill, as well as Anne Claydon from Lyttelton, Qantas Boeing 707-138 VH-EBL departed from Sydney and touched down in Christchurch as the first ever jet-engine commercial aircraft to cross the Tasman. Over 10,000 people turned out to welcome the inaugural V-jet service.” – Press front page advertising (9/4/25)
“I can remember the long, smoke trails they used to leave behind them when they departed and headed west across the Southern Alps. If the wind wasn’t blowing, that black smoke trail hung in the air for ages.” – Robert Scott, Christchurch Memories, Facebook (2024)
“The noise at the fenced off gate was excruciating… no wonder boomers are wearing hearing aids in such great numbers these days.” – Tony Franklin, ibid
“Spent hours waving at the window when Grandparents travelled to the Gold Coast then back. Dressing up for it was even worse.” – Fergus Gardiner
“Remember it well… My father was an air traffic controller at that point in time… First computers introduced there about this time – huge room full of electronic wizardry!” – Leslie Stewart
“CHRISTCHURCH /SYDNEY V-JET SERVICES INAUGURATE QANTAS ‘BIG BOEING’ AIR FREIGHT Qantas initiates the first big move in offering services of its international V-Jets in regular Trans-Tasman air freight schedules which commence with twice weekly return services between Christchurch and Sydney on Mondays and Saturdays, These giant V-Jets are the fastest aircraft in round-the-world service, and are the same Boeings which, before today, provided overseas links for your air freight only from Australia and Fiji onwards. Qantas V-Jets span the Tasman in just over 3 hours and offer extra cargo capacity that you have been waiting for—sometimes urgently. This added capacity and the” – Qantas advertising, Press (1965,) Papers Past
“The year was 1959 when Australia joined the jet age after we took delivery of our first Boeing 707…These aircraft were called the V-Jets, from the Latin “vannus”, meaning fan.” – qantasnewsroom.com.au
You could now cross the Tasman in just 3 hours and in more comfort.
The ‘jet age’ changed the country. For example, tourism in Akaroa was transformed as the previously normal town reinvented its identity as French in order to gather up tourist dollars.
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Image ref. Ron Cone, Christchurch City Libraries. AHNZ enhanced (2025)
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