AIR LICENCE HEARING

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32406, 19 September 1970, Page 23

AIR LICENCE HEARING

An application by, Patchett Tours, Ltd, for' an amendment to be made to its existing, licence to allow its aircraft to land at Mount Cook, Milford Sound, Queenstown and Te Anau, was refused by the Air Services Licensing Authority at a hearing in Christchurch on Wednesday.

The authority granted an amendment to the licence which will allow the company to use its existing fleet on the condition that no more’ than seven passengers are carried. The company’s present licence restricted it to having only one aircraft in the air at any one time. Patchett Tours (represented by Mr R. A. Young) sought the removal of restrictions to the licence which prohibited the use of more than one light aircraft at a time and the removal of a restriction that prevented' the company’s aircraft from landing at these airfields. Mr Young said Patchett Tours, Ltd, apart from the Canterbury Aero. Club, was the only licensee running a charter service from Christchurch with aircraft which were domiciled there. In the last few years three licensees had ceased charter work at Christchurch. Mount Cook Airlines, Ltd, which objected to the application, although authorised to carry out air taxi and charter ser-

I vices from Christchurch did' I not have a light aircraft available at Christchurch airport. j Mr Young said that for the , Mount Cook company to accept charter work at ChristI church airport it would have i to bring an aircraft from elsewhere in the Dominion and this was not an economical proposition. The law should allow something better than that, said Mr Young. Mr K. Wakeman, a director of Patchett Tours, said that there had been a reduction in charters offered at 'Christchurch airport in recent years. He said the Canterbury Aero Club was not specialised in charter work and carried it out only as a sideline. He submitted that a locally-domiciled operation should be aHowed chartei work to scenic spots throughout the South Island. For Mount Cook Airlines, Mr B. McClelland said the

applicant company did not make a profit: its only assets were its aircraft. It owed several thousand dollars, and by any standard the company was in a very parlous state. Mr McClelland said Patchett Tours would not have a chance of succeeding in business with the fleet it had even if the licence was amended immediately. Over several years it. had been clearly shown that there was no room fdr any extensive aerial charter work from | Christchurch. An application by Air 'Safaris and Services (N.Z.), Ltd, to be allov.ed to run an i air charter service from any j authorised place within eight nautical miles of Mesopotamia Station in Mid-Canter-was granted by the ; authority. ■ The authority consisted of: I chairman, Mr J. H. O. Tiller, Messrs H. B. Smith and B. R. i Rae, and Air Commodore R. I J. Cohen.