M.P. 'misses point’

Press, 8 March 1988, Page 6

M.P. 'misses point’

By

LES BLOXHAM,

travel editor The chairman of the Christchurch City Council’s airport committee. Dr Morgan Fahey, took the “Great Queenstown Airport Debate” into its fifth round yesterday with this reply to Mr Warren Cooper, the : Opposition’s spokesman on transport, whose comment appeared in “The Press? on Saturday: Il “The suggestion by Mr Cooper that ,the Queenstown Airport Authority could delegate i customs, agricultural and-immigra-tion tasks to other than those highly \ fr ain .e d officers is, 1 3S mresearched as his claim that Queenstown, with its W ell known geographical navigational chaiII r

lenges, is potentially as safe as French Polynesia, the Cook Islands or the Bahamas !' I"A11 these places have staffed hospitals within minutes of I their international airports,” said Dr Fahey. I l “Mr Cooper again misses the) point — Queenstown | and Christchurch rave a need to closely co-operate ,in order- to face the increasing challenges from Auckland which is now attracting a grossly disproportionate lumber of international travellers who will never see the South Island. I "By diluting Tasman traffic into Christchurch with Boeing 767 services direct to, and from, Queenst wn, Christchurch ..vwill ha' e less chance of ft! .

attracting international Boeing 747 lairlines and Auckland’s airport board will| be laughing all the way to their [company bank while we struggle to find funds for our planned airport developments. "the Christchurch Air-, port Authority i j supports Queenstown’s needs for an expanded airport capable of taking jet services. “When the new airport company is established I am sure it will continue to financially support international publicity in Queenstown. J "We need each other to boost South Island tourism and do not nried -the extravagance of a costly duplication with Queenstown which is less than an hour from Christchurch by feeder services,” Dr ii • | ■I ■ i ii I