Cheap air-charter plan for N.Z.

Press, 16 July 1977, Page 1

Cheap air-charter plan for N.Z.

NZPA Sydney Mr Freddie Laker, the British air-charter king, will turn his attention to New Zealand once he has convinced the Australian Government to accept his plan for cheap-fare flights between Europe and Australia.

He confirmed in Sydney yesterday that he had applied to the British Government for an extension to his air-transport licence to permit flights to Australia and New Zealand. Objections to the application were now being called for.

“It is my guess — and I’m talking about a 99 per cent situation — that it will be approved,” said Mr Laker.

He spent six years getting approval for his cheap “Skytrain” service across the Atlantic. The first flights are due in September.

With that battle won, he has now turned his attention to Australia and has lodged written submissions with the Australian

Government. He expects success and says that approval should be quicker than was the case with “Skytrain.”

At its cheapest, the service he will be offering Australians will cost $530 (about SNZ6I2) for a return fare to London.

His initial proposal for two return flights a .week in 345-seat DCIO aircraft would bring 35,000 tourists and S2SM to Australia in the first year. Mr Laker claimed that he would be tapping a new market and not attracting existing passengers away from established airlines. In fact, the competition would benefit airlines such as Qantas.

“This vast nation of yours does not have a tourist industry,” he said. “The reason is because it doesn’t have any tourists. "Australia is right bang in the middle of the most competitive countries in the world — it is between Japan and the United States of America. It has everything the tourist wants. Unless someone is prepared to offer the transport, you

won’t have a tourist indus try.”

Mr Laker said he believed that the extra tourism his service would generate would improve the unemployment situation in Australia and also the standard of food served in Australian restaurants.

His position on a service to New Zealand was completely dependent on developments in Australia. “I don’t think the New Zealand Government would give me approval before Australia,” he said. “1 think New Zealand will be watching the position carefully. They will want to watch the experiment and see how it goes before committing themselves.” Mr Laker said he had no intention to make any formal approach to the New Zealand Government at present and had no plans to visit New Zealand.

He envisaged a separate service for New Zealand and not an extension of any Australian service. “If the Australian market will take two flights a

week, then the New Zealand market will take one,” he said.