Parochial Interest In Jet Service Denied

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30478, 27 June 1964, Page 14

Parochial Interest In Jet Service Denied

The onus was now on the Ministry of Works to adhere to a schedule laid down by the Director of Civil Aviation which would permit a Qantas jet service to commence operations into and out of the Christchurch Airport early in January, Cr. A. R. Guthrey, chairman of the City Council’s airport committee, said yesterday.

Cr. Guthrey was commenting on a statement in “The Press” quoting “Avinews,” which accused Christchurch of putting parochial interests first and inferred that the protection of T.E.A.L. from jet competition at Christchurch was detrimental to both T.E A.L. and New Zealand.

Although the committee supported the opinion of Qantas that a safe service could be commenced earlier, it was prepared to accept the position and pleased to have the assurance of the Minister (Mr McAlpine) that he would do everything in his power to ensure that Christchurch got a jet service as quickly as possible, Cr. Guthrey said.

“We can assure ‘Avinews’ that we in Christchurch are fully aware of the facts of international aviation life and in particular “that every international air-carrier is a chosen instrument of its own country’, Cr. Guthrey said. “But we are also aware that all international carriers generate the greater proportion of their traffic from their own nationals, so that if we want to increase our own revenue from tourism we must allow other airlines into this country. “Rather than seeking to

throw T.E.A.L. on to the economic rubbish-heap (as the article suggested), we are attempting to create for T.EA..L. a more favourable public image,” he continued. “Christchurch public opinion is still old-fashioned—or should I say, “progressive’ enough—to believe that competition provides the only medium of real service to the public. A protected monopolistic T.E.A.L. will never be a popular T.E.A.L., and I can assure both ‘Avinews’ and the public that. T.E.A.L. is prepared to accept reasonable competition. “All we have been seeking in Christchurch for years is for officialdom to recognise that we have an airport of international standards that should be more fully used to promote tourism, and for this reason Qantas, under the pooling agreement, whereby T.E.A.L. retains 60 per cent of the traffic revenue, should be allowed to operate two .Boeing services a week, commencing in the spring of this year. Both T.E.A.L. and Qantas executives readily admit that the existing combined Electra fleet will be unable to cope with the traffic demand expected this summer. Even in the last 12 months many

potential overseas tourists have been denied the opportunity of visiting this country because the Electras' have often been full.”

Christchurch was seeking the same type of bi-weekly service between Christchurch and Sydney, with through connexions to London, that was given to 8.0.A.C. with Comets between Sydney and Auckland, with no detrimental effects to T.E.A.L. or the national economy, Cr. Guthrey continued.

A jet service would stimulate activity in the building of new hotels to cope with the expected increase in tourism when T.E.A.L., Qantas, and perhaps PanAmerican, under the new bilateral agreement, would be generating a much greater flow of tourists. Competition

To survive in competition with the other jet operators when Mangere opened, T.E.A.L. would have to obtain at least 75 per cent of the New Zealand traffic.

“I am firmly ,of the opinion that T.E.A.L. will exceed this percentage, provided it is prepared to accept reasonable competition and does not lose public support by seeking undue protection,” Cr. Guthrey said. “Our objective in Christchurch has.been to persuade the Government to allow reasonable competition for T.E.A.L., so that T.E.A.L. will have the incentive to maintain its present high standards, and that other airlines will have the opportunity of bringing more tourists into New Zealand.

“This policy would also give both T.E.A.L. and New Zealand a more favourable image abroad, and is, in fact, the policy now being adopted by T.E.A.L. .By persuading the Government to bring Christchurch up to jet standards T.E.A.L.. has been able to justify the purchase of DCB aircraft which will be able to operate from both Auckland and Christchurch and so retain the bulk of the lucrative Tasman traffic, as well as extending its services to and from North America.”