No early flights by Japanese

Press, 10 April 1987, Page 1

No early flights by Japanese

By

LES BLOXHAM,

travel editor In spite of its newly won landing rights, Japan Air Lines has no intention of flying scheduled services to Christchurch in the foreseeable future. Permission for the airline to use Christchurch is included in a revised bilateral agreement hammered out by Japanese and New Zealand aviation officials at Queenstown this week. Both airlines can now also increase their frequency to three Boeing 747 s a week. Air New Zealand now flies two 8747 s between Auckland and Tokyo. JAL flies two of the smaller DClOs. A spokesman for JAL said last evening that the

airline had no plans to use Christchurch, and it would be unlikely to do so for several years. JAL will, however, switch from DClOs to 8747 s on the TokyoAuckland route towards the end of the year, but it will not take up its option for a third service until a much later date. Air New Zealand will introduce its third service between New Zealand and Japan on Mondays later this year. The route has not been specified. Asked if the airline intended using Christchurch or whether a second city in Japan was being considered for the third service, the company’s public relations manager, Mr Bob Wallace, said the specific route would not be announced until later.

However, Air New Zealand is known to be keen to fly to Osaka as well as Tokyo, but access to Osaka will not be possible until new airport facilities are completed there about 1992. It is believed that the airline has instead been offered either Nagoya (between Osaka and Tokyo) or Fukuoka (on the southern island of Kyushu) as a second port of entry as a trade-off for JAL’s right to use Christchurch. At the New Zealand end, the airline might beat Japan Air Lines with a service to Christchurch. Air New Zealand already flies a notional international service from Tokyo to Christchurch on Mondays. . It .lists TE24 from Narita as a Christchurch

international arrival, in spite of the fact that the 8747 terminates its international service at Auckland. Passengers from Japan have to be cleared through immigration and customs at Auckland and must then make their way to the domestic terminal where the aircraft is towed for reboarding. Domestic passengers are accepted on the aircraft which continues to Christchurch with a oneclass service as NZ247. It then returns to Auckland also as a domestic flight. Whether this aircraft could be earmarked for a “Southern Connection” to Japan, the airline is not saying. The increase in frequency and capacity will be welcomed by the tour-

Ist industry and exporters. Last year the number of Japanese tourists increased 24 per cent and a similar increase is expected this year. The Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Prebble, said the Government was “ab-. solutely delighted” with the outcome of the bilateral talks. The Government had negotiated a series of very forward-looking aviation agreements and the New Zealand tourist industry and exporters were reaping the benefits, he said. “Japan is one of New Zealand’s most significant trading partners and this agreement gives an opportunity to develop balanced trade links with this nation,” said Mr Prebble. The new agreement

also allows for extra flights over the busy New Zealand summer season and this would also help exporters who had experienced shortage in freight capacity, he said. “The Government has * been concerned for some time that the air cargo space from New Zealand to Japan is limited and is holding back trade,” said Mr Prebble. “The aviation agreement is a significant breakthrough because it is a considerable liberalisation of the previous strict rules on airline designation. Under the new agreement other international airlines registered in either New Zealand or Japan can apply to take up spare capacity,” he said.