{"id":408297,"date":"2026-08-25T20:45:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T18:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/dc-8-amazon-brazil-final-journey\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T21:07:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T19:07:33","slug":"dc-8-amazon-brazil-final-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/dc-8-amazon-brazil-final-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Air New Zealand DC-8 Leaves Brazil&#8217;s Amazon for Its Final Journey Home After 20 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The aircraft registered ZK-NZC is the only surviving example of the eight DC-8s that once made up Air New Zealand&#8217;s long-haul fleet, reports the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nttmuseumwanaka.co.nz\/blog\/bring-our-birds-home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">National Transport and Toy Museum W\u0101naka<\/a>. For the last two decades it has been slowly decaying in the Amazon of Brazil, at the airport in Manaus. It was built by the Douglas factory in Long Beach, California, and the airline took delivery of it in September 1965.<\/p>\n<p>Air New Zealand retired the aircraft from service in 1981. It then changed hands several times before ending up with the Brazilian cargo carrier TCB, which ceased operations in 2006. Since then the plane had been left to deteriorate at Manaus-Eduardo Gomes Airport.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/dc-8-amazon-brazil-final-journey\/#A_Legend_That_Flew_the_Queen\" >A Legend That Flew the Queen<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/dc-8-amazon-brazil-final-journey\/#The_Journey_Home_Across_the_Ocean\" >The Journey Home Across the Ocean<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/dc-8-amazon-brazil-final-journey\/#What_It_Means_in_Practice\" >What It Means in Practice<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Legend_That_Flew_the_Queen\"><\/span>A Legend That Flew the Queen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This particular aircraft has a piece of history to its name. On <strong>30 January 1974<\/strong> it carried Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips from Rarotonga to Christchurch, reports the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.odt.co.nz\/regions\/wanaka\/w%C4%81naka-final-resting-place-iconic-aircraft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Otago Daily Times<\/a>. A few days later, the Queen opened the British Commonwealth Games at Christchurch&#8217;s QEII Park.<\/p>\n<p>According to Paul Brennan, founder of the Bring Our Birds Home charity, it was this very type of aircraft that played a key role in helping Air New Zealand transform into a full-fledged international airline, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.odt.co.nz\/star-news\/star-christchurch\/iconic-dc-8-heading-back-home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Otago Daily Times<\/a> notes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Journey_Home_Across_the_Ocean\"><\/span>The Journey Home Across the Ocean<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The dismantling of the aircraft is due to begin on <strong>1 September 2026<\/strong>. The plane will be cut into sections (the fuselage, wings split for container transport, and the tail surfaces) and shipped by sea to the port of <strong>Timaru<\/strong> on the South Island.<\/p>\n<p>It is expected to arrive there before the end of this year, report the Brazilian outlets <a href=\"https:\/\/aerojota.com.br\/dc-8-abandonado-manaus-nova-zelandia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">AeroJota<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rondoniaovivo.com\/noticia\/geral\/2026\/08\/13\/fim-do-abandono-dc-8-que-esta-ha-duas-decadas-em-manaus-vai-de-navio-para-a-nova-zelandia.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Rond\u00f4nia ao Vivo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An empty DC-8-52 weighs around 60 tonnes, measures 45.9 metres in length and has a wingspan of 43.4 metres. According to the same source, the logistics are being handled by airport operator VINCI Airports and Freightplus, a company specialising in heavy international cargo.<\/p>\n<p>The costs are being covered by anonymous donors. On top of that, the Bring Our Birds Home charity has spent nine years raising money on the <a href=\"https:\/\/givealittle.co.nz\/cause\/bringourbirdshome\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Givealittle<\/a> platform, and as of August 2026 it had collected <strong>NZD 40,035<\/strong> from 467 donors.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_It_Means_in_Practice\"><\/span>What It Means in Practice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;re planning a trip to New Zealand&#8217;s South Island, once the restoration is complete you&#8217;ll be able to see this piece of aviation history at the <strong>National Transport and Toy Museum in W\u0101naka<\/strong>. The museum sits right next to the airport and is normally open to the public.<\/p>\n<p>You can also follow the dismantling and the sea voyage online. The charity is documenting it as it happens through its Givealittle campaign and on social media.<\/p>\n<p>This move has no impact on flights to Brazil or on operations at Manaus airport. It&#8217;s simply a one-off removal of a retired airframe.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re only just starting to plan a trip to New Zealand, bear in mind that the aircraft is due to reach Timaru <strong>by the end of 2026<\/strong>, and it will only make it to the museum in W\u0101naka after further restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n<!-- LKM_GYG_CARD start q=\"cestu domu\" lang=\"en\" rendered=\"2026-08-31T19:07:11+00:00\" v=\"1\" -->\n\n<!-- LKM_GYG_CARD end -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The only surviving Douglas DC-8 from Air New Zealand&#8217;s fleet has spent twenty years decaying in the Amazon of Brazil. From 1 September 2026 it will be dismantled and shipped to New Zealand, where it will end up in a museum in W\u0101naka. It once even carried Queen Elizabeth II.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","rank_math_title":"DC-8 Leaves Amazon Brazil for Final Journey Home","rank_math_description":"After 20 years in the Amazon of Brazil, Air New Zealand's last DC-8 heads home to a museum in W\u0101naka. Read the full story of this iconic aircraft's journey.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"amazon brazil","rank_math_seo_score":""},"categories":[320],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-408297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-travel"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/abandoned-dc-8-aircraft-tarmac.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Luk\u00e1\u0161 Kone\u010dn\u00fd","author_link":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/author\/lukas-konecny\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}