From 1959, trans-Tasman flights were operated by Electras of Air NZ (then TEAL) and Qantas. When Qantas disposed of their Electras in 1967, the Wellington service was operated by Air NZ with Electras in Air NZ livery with added Qantas titles. When Air NZ retired their Electras in 1972, only their DC-8s could operate into WLG whereas Qantas 707s could not. With the imminent retirement of the DC-8s in 1981, neither airline would have an aeroplane able to operate into WLG. Qantas purchased two SPs for this specific purpose. The WLG problem was eventually solved in 1985 by the introduction of the B767-200 by Air NZ and Qantas. The Qantas SPs were then utilised exclusively on the longhaul routes for which they were designed. The greatest irony is that towards the end of their service, the Qantas SPs were routinely used on what was effectively a one-hour domestic shuttle between Sydney and Brisbane.