New Westport air link mooted

Press, 28 August 1980, Page 2

New Westport air link mooted

West Coast reporters Flying Services Jfr’prepared to provide four flights daily to Westport, six days a week, if Air New Zealand pulls out of the afea altogether, according to the company’s manager at Jlokitika, Mr Patrick Pascoe. •► Mr Pascoe said yesterday that his company had formally asked the national airline to cancel its plan for a Wellington-Westport service, three days a week, from October 6.

’ If that happened, Westland : Flying Services ; would base a 10-seater Cessna and two pilots at Westport,., to link with its present Hoki-tika-Greymouth-Christchurch service, in<->which, a 20-seater aircraft is used. •' /The company was prepared to offer the people;,of Buller early-morning and evening connections with Christchurch, Mr Pascoe said. If there was sufficient public demand, the company would also provide flights north.

Westland Flying Services would continue to compete with Air New Zealand on the Hokitika-Christchurch leg, because of the good loadings out of Greymouth, but it wanted the airline to withdraw frojn Westport altogether. This would be necessary if the new service was to be economic. Mr Pascoe said, that .his company was surprised about the lack of interest shown by the Westport Airport Authority in its proposals. ’ ,

The load , factor was the “nut” of the problem in the decision to reduce Air New Zealand’s services to Westport and Hokitika, the planning committee of the West Coast United ! Council was told at a meeting on Tuesday. The Mayor of Westport (Mr J. Dellaca) and the chairman of the Buller County Council (Mr W. J. Mumm) emphasised at the meeting that air services to Westport should be main-

tained to serve the area’s social needs.

However, the general manager (domestic) of Air New Zealand (Mr J. White) and the Air New Zealand representative at Nelson (Mr C. F. Bryan), who were at the meeting, said that although the social needs had been considered, the reduction decision was based on economics.

The load factor from Westport was less than 50 per cent, while the factor from Hokitika was at a selfsustaining 70 per cent, said Mr White. ' ’

“The load factor is the nut of the problem. We have done all we can ■to generate travel but, in general, we have not gained on the West Coast,” he said. “We are convinced that the new time-table will meet the needs of the people, in fact, we have amended our proposed changes so that the three-times-a-week return service from Wellington to Westport will now run on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and additional services will be available on Sundays at peak periods.

“We will retain the present Christchurch-Hoki-tika link because of the better patronage,” Mr White said.

He said that the proposals were by no means absolute; the Air Service Licensing Authority would make the final decision, after a public hearing, at which the West Coast would be represented.