Sounds Air Company Background - NZ Airline since 1987

Rhyan Wardman

Board Chairman & Director

Steve Handyside

Director

Cliff Marchant

Founder

Andrew Crawford

CEO & Director

Sounds Air have been operating for over 30 years and have vast experience flying in and around the Marlborough Sounds, Cook Strait, Wellington and Nelson.
Sounds Air was started by Cliff and Diane Marchant in 1987. They had a vision of providing low cost inter-island transport to provide locals and tourists with easy access to the Marlborough Sounds.

Since that time we have made over 175,000 crossings of Cook Strait to our own airport at Picton and also to Blenheim, Nelson, Westport and Paraparaumu. 

Most recently we have begun flying Blenheim to Christchurch, Wellington to Westport and Wellington to Taupo.

Sounds Air runs a fleet of four Cessna Caravans and six Pilatus PC12s. These are single engine, turbine powered and are the perfect aircraft for our routes providing high levels of passenger safety and comfort as well as being very sturdy and extremely reliable aircraft to operate.

The company's founder and board members are:

Cliff Marchant - Founder

Cliff retired from airline flying in 2017 after 43 years as a pilot with Air New Zealand. Aircraft types he captained during his career include Boeing 767, 747 and 777. He and wife Diane founded Sounds Air in 1987 and retain an active involvement in the airline.

Rhyan Wardman - Board Chairman & Director

Rhyan invested in Sounds Air in 2009, becoming a Director in 2013 and appointed Board Chairman in November 2019.  His career has spanned various industries and roles, ranging from founding start-ups to holding executive positions in multi-national companies.  Rhyan was a Wine Marlborough Director from 2014, concluding his tenure as Board Chairman in 2017. He is a Board Director for Wellington-based tech start-up, Marama Labs, and recently co-founded The Coterie and acquired the iconic Seresin Estate Winery in Marlborough.  Rhyan is a member of the Institute of Directors.

Andrew Crawford - CEO & Director

Originally from a farming background, Andrew moved into large scale diesel generator installations and hire in the mid 1980’s. He spent five years in Sydney, then three years in London. Ten years in Auckland followed as General Manager of New Zealand’s largest generator hire company, Power Hire Ltd., prior to moving to Blenheim, to take on the role of Sounds Air’s Managing Director, in late 2003.

Steve Handyside - Director

Steve has worked in the construction industry for many years and was one of the founders of one of New Zealand’s leading crane hire and equipment hire companies, New Zealand Crane Hire Ltd. Steve now devotes his time to assisting with a number of companies he is involved with, two of these being Sounds Air and Takeflite Solutions. Steve has been a shareholder and Director of Sounds Air since 2003.