Charter flights hope for Sky bus

Press, 22 October 1980, Page 1

Charter flights hope for Sky bus

I- Organisers of ,the proV posed Skybus-,venture! . are ; . confident- that It will begin. <in December, . with'' inter-.; /'nationarcharterflights—;

■ i with or without Gbvern- ; ment approval for' its internal flight p’ .ns. ■ The Aqua Avia Society, i? Ltd, which has announced ij* plans to run an airline • service in competition

with Air New Zealand, i;’has gained approval for Australians to join the

scheme, according to Mr J. G. Rutherford, one of the directors of the society. ,-s; Mr Rutherford said yesterday that the Reserve Bank of Australia had given approval to the society to recruit Austra- ’

Mians for the scheme. A charter flight to Australia was planned for December. The society was negotiating with people in Britain and the United

States for similar arrangements? which could see the society offering an international service before the end of the year.

Mr Rutherford was confident that the society would attract enoagh members by December to be able to offer international “package tours.” He said yesterday that there had been an “overwhelming public response” to Aqua Avia’s proposal. He did not have the

society’s present membership figures, and teferred a reporter to an Auckland public relations firm hired by the society’. However, the Auckland firm declined to give the present membership, saying it planned to release figures early* next week. In its first news release, the Auckland firm says that a minimum of 20,000 paid up members would get the scheme started by’ -December with a chartered flight to Australia.

.■ Mr Rutherford said he believed that only half this, number would be required to fill up the assortment of projects planned for the end of the year. The society could run successfully just on international sendees as a private club, along the same lines as the "Ports of Call” Club of Denver, Colorado, he said.

Under the Chicago Convention, private aircraft were permitted to land in any country which was a signatory to the convention, so long as the aircraft- . complied with traffic and safety requirements. New Zealand and most other countries belonged" to the convention.: The international services would provide members wilh an opportunity to travel to places not normally covered by established airlines, including South American countries. ■ As for the society’s proposed internal flight services,’ which offer savings Of up to.a third, of -Air New Zealand’snormal fares/ Mr’ CRuth 'Tord said he was “very..’hopeful that the Government would not- change the law

exempting aero clubs from licensing requirements. “There 'would have to be a very visible demonstration- of public support for changes,” he said. “The indications so far are very far from that.” Intern members . are .warned-by the society .that they stand; to lose their membership fee if the scheme proves not to be viable.. “Life" members, would . lose $l5O, - and “term” members would lose their five-year fee ■of $75. Mr' ' Rutherford said there could be no refund on the membership fee because,- c- the rules applying to industrial and pro-vident-societies.- If-such a society “went ’ broke,” its assets had to b,e given to charity, he said. / Dominion Budget JL;nt-A-Car has offered Aqua .Avia,, members .a. ,20 ..per., .cent, discount oh-.‘.car;>hire-rates; and-' Other; tostcuf--ting . scheiifes are ;being considered, ‘ the society' says. .. - x • .. -•<