Warning on agricultural air service

Press, 5 September 1983, Page 4

Warning on agricultural air service

Agricultural air services would be the worst affected part of the aviation industry if it were to be deregulated, according to the deputy chief executive of the Mount Cook Group, Mr M. L. Corner.

Addressing the Christchurch branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Mr Corner said that the situation in agricultural air services was likely to revert to that before the licensing regulations were introduced in 1952.

At that stage, there were so many different services that some were cutting corners and omitting safety precautions in order to keep costs down and prices competitive.

For safety precautions, the regulations were introduced by the Government in 1952. Mr Corner said that there were already enough services available to fanners, and the possibility of deregulating the transport industry would leave the field open for more services, and so it was likely the situation would revert to where it began. Any delicensing legislation woidd not really affect the twc giain air services in the country, Air New Zea-

land and Mount Cook Group, he said. This was because the two’ were not really in direct competition, as Mount Cook was aiming purely at a tourist market and Air New Zealand was servicing the main trunk lines.

Any competition was unlikely, because of the immense cost in setting up an airline. He quoted air Services that had not even got off the ground. Lack of frequency of Tasman flights was a problem that had to be faced by New Zealand airlines, he said.

If there were more flights, by smaller planes, the Australian and New Zealand tourist would be better served.

Flights to New Zealand on Friday nights should be coupled with flights back to Australia to fit in with the Australian tourist’s holiday. Both countries would be better served if there were more frequent flights with planes with a 150-seat capacity, rather than the 400seat 747 flights which existed at the moment. The rest of the tourism industry in New Zealand could cope better with 150 tourists entering the country at once, than with 400.