Ansett’s Chch terminal delayed

Press, 21 January 1987, Page 4

Ansett’s Chch terminal delayed

By

LES BLOXHAM.

travel editor

Legal action by Air New Zealand is continuing to frustrate Ansett New Zealand’s plans to build a new passenger terminal at Christchurch Airport.

Air New Zealand last month sought a High Court injunction to stop the terminal being built on land it claimed to lease south of the existing domestic wing. Mr Justice Holland, however, was prepared to grant an injunction covering only part of the land — that which is required for stage two of the Ansett project. After the ruling, Ansett thought the way was clear for it to start work on stage one and contractors were to have moved in two weeks ago. This was subsequently blocked by Air New Zealand’s filing of an appeal against Mr Justice Holland’s decision.

The dispute is between the Christchurch City Council, which owns the airport land, and Air New Zealand which holds various leases.

Lawyers representing both parties are meeting this week in a bid to reach an out-of-court settlement.

Elsewhere, the way is clear for Ansett to get its terminals under way. Work will begin in Auckland and Wellington next week.

Ansett New Zealand — the consortium of Ansett

Transport Industries of Australia, Newmans, and Brierley — will start flying in direct competition with Air New Zealand on the main domestic routes as soon as the terminals are completed, possibly in late May or early June.

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand is continuing to lose senior executive staff to the new airline, which is headed by Air New Zealand’s former regional manager for North America, Mr Ross Keenan. The latest defection is the airline’s sales manager for central New Zealand, Mr Peter Wilson, who has resigned to become Ansett’s general manager, marketing. Mr Wilson has been with Air New Zealand for 11 years and played a significant role in restructuring its marketing division after Mr Norman Geary’s appointment as chief executive in 1981. The airline will also lose Mr Graeme Campbell, its Singapore-based

regional manager for the Orient. According to unconfirmed reports, Mr Campbell is likely to become Ansett’s chief of management and corporate services. Another senior Air New Zealand man who has resigned is Mr Paul Winter, who was regional manager for Australia until his promotion last year as manager for commercial development. Mr Winter has been appointed general manager of Newmans Tours, a company indirectly associated with the airline consortium through the Newmans Group. A number of Air New Zealand staff further down the ladder have applied for jobs with Ansett as pilots, engineers, and cabin attendants. Air New Zealand’s public relations manager, Mr Bob Wallace, said Air New Zealand was a big company with a' big staff. "People come and' people go,” he said. “We can only wish them well.”