Airline presses for extra charters

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33128, 19 January 1973, Page 10

Airline presses for extra charters

'New Zealand Preu Association)

AUCKLAND, January* 18.

World Airways, an American airline, has pressed the Government to allow it to bring an extra 16 charter flights to New Zealand this year, as an experiment by which the effect of charters on New Zealand airline and tourist business can be assessed.

The first of 15 World Airways charter flights approved by the previous Government is due at Auckland Airport at 6.30 p.m. tomorrow, with 165 doctors from Michigan on board.

The president of World Airways (General M. Estes).

who has been meeting Ministers associated with aviation

and tourism this week, said in Auckland today that he hoped for a reply to his airline’s request by the end ofj the month.

General Estes said the previous Government had ap-i proved a total of 32 charter flights into New Zealand during the 1972-73 peak and offpeak tourist season. These in-1 eluded flights for Trans International airlines and Pan American which had fallen i i through.

The proposed 31 World Air-, [ways flights were less in total' than originally approved, and because they covered both peak and off-peak times i could be a useful guide to the [impact of charters on the I New Zealand economy, including its airlines and tourist industry. The last of the 15 flights iso far approved is at the end 'of March. The other 16 proposed would go through to the beginning of June. The impact on hotel accommodation at any one time would be limited, because only one charter group would be in New Zealand at any one time.

“We are not asking for any open-skies policy,” said General Estes. "This is for a specific programme, and nothing more than that”

Asked about future hopes, General Estes said his airline would certainly look to

some continuing programme of charters. Asked whether he felt that' when Air New Zealand had a surplus capacity for char-1 ter work it should be able toi compete in the United States' market, General Estes said that reciprocity was thei policy of the American Gov-' eminent.

Hacks in demand

High prices were paid when St James station (Hanmer Springs) held its biennial sale of unbroken hacks yesterday. For 43 lots, the average was more than $l2O. The first lot into the ring, a dark grey filly, brought $250 which price was bettered later by a showy chestnut filly sold at $270. Six others sold between $l5O to $2OO. At the 1971 sale, 50 hacks averaged ;$66, top price being $155.