The regulatory governance of two government-owned, commercialised, monopoly air navigation service providers in Australian and New Zealand is assessed. Economic oversight by an independent regulator in Australia is compared to self-regulation in New Zealand. The Stern and Holder (1999) evaluation framework is applied and user assessments are considered. Both models meet the attributes of sound regulatory governance in most respects. Significant changes in the industry environment indicate that regulatory governance should be reassessed, including with regard to linkages between price regulation and service delivery. •Self-regulation of air traffic management is compared to independent regulation.•Theories of regulatory governance and new governance applied to case studies.•Case studies of air traffic management provision in Australia and New Zealand.•Self-regulation and independent regulation meet good governance criteria.•Environmental changes suggest regulatory frameworks need review.