Safe Air given approval for Chathams run

Press, 21 May 1982, Page 12

Safe Air given approval for Chathams run

PA Wellington Safe Air has been given approval by the Air Services Licensing Authority to start a new air service to the Chatham Islands, using Argosy aircraft, flying from Christchurch and Wellington. The freight planes will be able to carry 30 passengers in a specially-built, air-condi-tioned capsule, or 12,100 kg of freight. The planes will use the Chathams’ new Tuuta airport, which was opened last year by the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon. The fares will be $2OO from Christchurch and $l7O from Wellington. The fares are higher by 6.38 per cent and 10.38 per cent respectively than those originally submitted by Safe Air when the Internal Affairs Department invited tenders for the new service. Safe Air told the authority that it needed the higher fares because of increases in the cost of aviation fuel, wages, and salaries. Freight-rate increases sought by Safe Air have been trimmed by the authority. The airline wanted an increase of 33.3 per cent in the

freight rate between Wellington and the Chathams, but the authority granted an increase of 10.6 per cent. Safe Air plans to start the service from Christchurch on June 16 and from Wellington on August 2. The Government awarded the tender for the service to Safe Air late last year in spite of the Chatham Islands County Council’s indicating that it prefered a tender submitted by the Mount Cook Group for a ChristchurchChathams service. Safe Air will receive a Government grant of $297,000 to run the service. Costs above that figure are to be met from passenger fares and freight rates. The authority said that the fares proposed favoured the selection of Safe Air as the cheapest operator. The authority said, “We are of the opinion that the proposals of the Mount Cook Group, that Wellington travellers should go via Christchurch, is unrealistic when, at the same time, it proposes to give concession fares on the ChristchurchChatham Islands route to selected persons or parties.”