New air service to Chathams

Press, 16 June 1982, Page 3

New air service to Chathams

Safe Air will begin a new air service to the Chatham Islands today with an Argosy aircraft making the first return flight from Christchurch, at 10.30 a.m. The Government awarded the tender for the service to Safe Air last year and approval was granted by the Air Services Licensing Authority last month. The Hawker Siddeley Argosy jet prop will take about an hour off the time taken for the journey by the Bristol Freighter that Safe Air has been using on the Chathams run since 1968. In that time, the airline has .carried almost 45,000 passengers on 1835 return flights to the Chatham Islands. Thirty passengers will be carried in the -Argosy in a removeable air-conditioned capsule fitted; with Boeing 737 seats. Three capsules are planned — one each for Christchurch and Wellington, with a spare being kept at Blenheim. The capsule-will be removed when the aircraft is on other services. In the first year of the five-year contract for the Chatham Islands service, Safe Air will provide 78 return flights to the islands. Most of the flights will be from Christchurch Airport, where. the. airline believes the greatest demand for the service exists. The airline's public relations consultant, Mr Geoffrey Bentley, said yesterday that the new service would be less frequent but would carry more passengers. Three return services are scheduled for June, four in July, and five each in August and September. Only, one passenger capsule has been completed, and until the second is ready, sometime in August,, all flights will be out of Christchurch. ' The Argosy aircraft will use the new Tuuta Airport on the Chatham Islands, which was opened last year. The Government will provide a flat-rdte grant for the service and it will be up to the airline to make it profitable using passenger fares and freight rates. The Chatham Islands service is the only passenger service run by the Blenheimbased airline.