Tasman Empire Airways Limited (1940–1965), better known as TEAL, is the former name of Air New Zealand Limited (1965–). TEAL was formed by an Intergovernmental Agreement for Tasman Sea Air Services (also known as the Tasman Sea Agreement), a treaty signed by the governments of United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand in London on 10 April 1940. TEAL was first registered in Wellington as a limited liability company on 26 April 1940. The company's purpose was originally to transport mail, passengers and cargo across the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, during World War II. The treaty was originally intended to end within three months after hostilities with Germany ended, however was extended in 1949, the agreement ended on 31 March 1954, with control and ownership passing into normal commercial arrangements. The shares were originally held by the New Zealand Government (20%), Union Airways (19%), BOAC (38%) and Qantas (23%). After World War II shareholding passed to equal ownership by the governments of New Zealand and Australia. Four Short Sandringhams and later Short Solents were acquired, as well as an ex-Royal New Zealand Air Force Consolidated PBY Catalina for survey flights. Routes and services Tasman Service Auckland–Sydney The inaugural Tasman service between Auckland and Sydney on 30 April 1940 was flown by Aotearoa, one of its two Short S.30 flying boats. There was a connection at Sydney with the Qantas/BOAC Empire Air Route or Empire Air Mail Scheme to England which meant that there was, for the first time, a regular through air service between New Zealand and England. That lasted less than six weeks as, when Italy entered World War II in June 1940, it was no longer possible to fly through the Mediterranean. The Horseshoe route provided a solution. The first four months of operation saw a weekly return service between Auckland and Sydney. This was expanded to thrice fortnightly with connections to San Francisco using Pan Am flights from Auckland (Pan Am was not flying into Australia). The connection to San Francisco ended in December 1941 when Japan entered the war. In the first year, the annual report revealed that 130 trans-Tasman flights had been completed carrying 1,461 passengers for a profit, prior to tax and dividends, of NZ£31,479. By 1944, the trans-Tasman frequency had increased to three weekly return flights. Wellington–Sydney From 1940–1950, TEAL operated a single Tasman service, between Auckland and Sydney, with Short