ABOUT YOUR FLIGHT
You’ll take off from Queenstown on your Air Milford flight and very quickly leave everyday reality as you rise up above some of planet Earth’s most incredible geography. We will generally take a set route from Queenstown over the Southern Alps and into Milford Sound. Then we will fly a different route on the flight back. These flight paths are changeable depending on the varying weather conditions. Many of our passengers book a flight from Queenstown to Milford Sound for a boat cruise followed by a coach trip back to the resort town. It’s a big day with a lot of spectacular travel – you’ll be exhausted, satisfied and utterly inspired by the end of it.
ABOUT THE SOUND
The first thing you should know about Milford Sound is that it’s not actually a ‘sound’. Instead, measuring 12 km long and up to 320 metres deep, it is actually a true fiord.
The second thing you’ll discover about Milford Sound is the incredible landscape and fascinating locals. Here the mountains appear to rise straight from the sea, towering above the deep blue hues of the fiord and into the clouds. Within such an impressive landscape you’ll see a multitude of plunging waterfalls – and experiencing such falls from the plane above and the boat below will be something you’ll never forget.
The locals? Visitors here may encounter New Zealand Fur Seals, Bottlenose Dolphins, Penguins and other interesting native wildlife on their journey through the fiord.
The third thing that everyone will tell you is just how wet it can get – the average yearly rainfall is approximately 7.5metres. Despite this jaw-dropping figure there are plenty of good days here too. The weather can rapidly change from good to bad and back again (which makes for some interesting flight planning)
Such dramatic weather patterns result in some of nature’s most amazing scenery transformations, which is yet another reason to see it all from the comfort of an Air Milford scenic flight!
Please note that although current weather conditions will ultimately dictate your flight path, the flight map highlights the standard route for all options.
