Air New Zealand Large Promotional Ashtray Circa - 1970

A large 7 1/4" diameter AIR NEW ZEALAND Advertising ashtray in brown glass with a leather outer...in lovely as new condition. Air New Zealand began as TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) in 1940, operating Short Empire flying boats on trans-Tasman routes. Following World War II, TEAL operated weekly flights from Auckland to Sydney, and added Wellington and Fiji to its routes. The New Zealand and Australian governments purchased 50% stakes in TEAL in 1953, and the airline ended flying boat operations in favour of propeller airliners by 1960. With the introduction of the DC-8 in 1965, TEAL became Air New Zealand.....the New Zealand government having purchased Australia's 50% stake in the carrier. In 1978, the domestic airline National Airways Corporation (NAC) and its subsidiary Safe Air were merged into Air New Zealand to form a single national airline, further expanding the carrier's operations.