TASMAN AIR TRAFFIC

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28894, 14 May 1959, Page 8

TASMAN AIR TRAFFIC

Increasing Flow To City

Trans-Tasman air traffic was increasing to New Zealand, and increasing disproportionately in favonr of Christchurch compared with the rate of increase at Auckland, the Christchurch airport manager (Mr A. I. R. Jamieson) told members of the Canterbury branch of the Society of Accountants in a luncheon address yesterday. Mr Jamieson said that he understood that next summer Tasman Empire Airways would be running a dally service between Christchurch and Australian cities to cope with the demand. That might not continue Im--mediately with the arrival of the new and larger Electra turbopropeller planes. “However, if the Viscount story is repeated in the Tasman traffic Hie service will be increased rather- than reduced. Christ-church-Auckland Viscount traffic is 60 per cent, more than expected and the Palmerston North service—only a month old—has a load factor of 90.1 per cent.,” he said. Mr Jamieson said that when Rongbtai ariport opened for. Viscount service to Wellington in July there would be seven return flights from Christchurch to Wellington each day. That meant that there would be 1400 air seats for passengers in and out of Christchurch to many points each day, and with 75 per cent, loadings an annual traffic of 300,000 travellers passing through the airport in a year. Trading Concessions With the airport able to guarantee a large potential custom. the airport authority was in a good position to negotiate concessions for such services as car parking and service station, hairdressing, catering, news stands and tobacconists, motels, trip insurance and gift and general merchandise selling, Mr Jamieson said. Rather than letting space by area taken in concessions, the City Council was letting space and taking a percentage of profits, Mr Jamieson said. As profits increased, and they would, so would the council’s share grow. This method was superior to the flat rental system which would have to be renegotiated every so often to ensure the Council received its adequate rental in relation to improved trading. « “We feel that it is quite fair and there cannot be anything too objectionable to it since there are plenty of takers with those terms,” Mr Jamieson said.