Mr Prebble denies use of Air Force

Press, 22 September 1984, Page 16

Mr Prebble denies use of Air Force

By NZPA and Wellington reporter Wellington The Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Prebble, has ruled out using the Air Force for transporting freight during peak periods. The R.N.Z.A.F. was not in the business of subsidising commerical and business enterprises, he said in an address to the Air Freight Forwarders Federation in Auckland. Competition was the best moderator of price increases, he said and the Goverment had plans to deal with the crisis facing the air freight industry. Federation members handled 90 per cent of New Zealand’s exports by air and had brought a serious situa-

tion to the attention of the Government. This was that under capacity seemed likely to occur during the next five months, particularly in November and December, over the shipment of perishables to North America and Japan, Mr Prebble said. Meetings had been held under the auspices of the Exports and Shipping Council to document the extent of the anticipated shortfall in freight capacity and to look at possible course of action. Various estimates put the shortfall at 5000 or 6000 cubic metres to North America and Japan during November and December, he said. It was reckoned that some 30 extra charter

flights of DCB freighter aircraft would be needed during those two months. Mr Prebble said that suitable aircraft were available to run charters both to North America and Japan, but only at a price. •