Ski Plane vs Helicopter

Choose the ski plane if standing on snow matters most: it lands on the upper snowfields of the Tasman Glacier, where INFLITE offers snow landings all year. Choose a helicopter if you want to land on a mountain ridge, fly lower and closer to the peaks, or keep the flight short and cheaper. If you are torn, INFLITE’s 55-minute scenic flight in helicopter or ski plane, from $428 per person, flies the same loop across the Main Divide whichever aircraft you pick.

How the two aircraft differ

A ski plane is a small fixed-wing aircraft fitted with retractable skis, so it can leave the runway on wheels and land on snow. At Mount Cook, INFLITE (Mount Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters) flies Pilatus Porter and Cessna 185 ski planes; the Pilatus Porter has nine seats. A plane needs a long, open snowfield to land on, and the wide upper Tasman Glacier gives it one. On the snow the engine is shut down, and you hear the quiet of the glacier.

A helicopter can put down on a small patch of level ground, so helicopter flights land on ridges and alpine sites as well as on glaciers, and they can hover and move in close to ice and rock. INFLITE’s helicopters seat five to seven depending on weight. The catch is snow: INFLITE warns that its alpine landing sites may have little or no snow roughly December to March, and The Helicopter Line says snow on its shortest flight depends on the season.

Landing on the Tasman since 1955

Harry Wigley landed on the Tasman Glacier in an Auster fitted with retractable skis on 22 September 1955. Mount Cook Ski Planes dates its start to that flight, and INFLITE bought the company in 2015. RNZ describes it as the only commercial ski-plane business in the Southern Hemisphere, and the operator calls itself the Southern Hemisphere’s only destination for year-round glacier landings by ski plane.

Where to book a ski plane flight

GetYourGuide sells two INFLITE flights that include the ski plane: the 55-minute flight above, where you choose the aircraft, and the ski plane and helicopter glacier combo, from $314 per person with a 4.7 rating from 361 reviews, where you fly up in one aircraft and back in the other after a 10 to 15 minute landing on the Tasman Glacier. For people who want to try both, the combo is the obvious booking; our combo guide and our breakdown of the combo cover it in full.

The ski-plane-only flights are sold on Viator. The 45-minute Glacier Highlights ski plane tour, from $380 per person and rated 4.9 from 19 reviews, flies through the national park and lands at the top of the Tasman Glacier. The helicopter version of the same flight, the 45-minute Glacier Highlights helicopter tour, is the same $380, so on this route the aircraft choice costs nothing extra. The longest ski-plane flight is the Grand Circle, listed as a 55-minute flight; Viator gives about 1.1 hours in total, so allow around 65 minutes:

Where the helicopter makes more sense

For a first flight, or with young children, a short helicopter flight costs least. INFLITE’s 25-minute scenic helicopter flight with alpine landing, from $217 per person with 4.7 from 517 reviews, goes up the Tasman Valley and over a glacier lake to an alpine landing. The Helicopter Line’s flights from Glentanner Park all include a landing too, and its 40 and 55 minute flights land in the snow among the glaciers, subject to snow levels. Our 25 vs 40 vs 55 minute guide compares every length, and our snow landing guide explains alpine landings against glacier landings.

The fixed-wing flight from Lake Tekapo

Air Safaris flies a 50-minute scenic flight from Lake Tekapo over Aoraki/Mount Cook and the Tasman Glacier and across to the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. The Mount Cook and Beyond scenic flight is from $300 per person, rated 5.0 from 132 reviews, and every passenger gets a window seat. The listing includes the flight and commentary with no landing, so book it if you are staying in Tekapo and want the view, and one of the ski plane or helicopter flights above if you want to stand on the snow. See our breakdown of the Tekapo flight.

Before you book

INFLITE sets a general weight limit of 116 kg per person and may weigh passengers at check-in. Seats cannot be chosen in advance; they are assigned on the day by weight, in both aircraft. Infants can sit on a caregiver’s lap, but a seat is still allocated and charged. Wear warm layers, sturdy closed-toe shoes and sunglasses, because the glare on the snow is strong.

All these flights depend on the weather. If INFLITE cancels, it reschedules or refunds you in full, and every GetYourGuide listing here has free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Operators suggest booking early in your stay so there is time to rebook. For the ice itself on foot, see our Tasman Glacier guide, and for every flight together, the full comparison on the homepage.

When you have decided, check availability for the 55-minute helicopter or ski plane flight.