Whangarei Airport Problems Raise Questions on Eagle's Service

 

 

New flight restrictions for Whangarei Airport are leading to passengers being kicked off flights in wet weather so planes can land on the runway.  The situation - which has been in place since the start of June - resulted in 10 people being dumped from a flight from Auckland last Thursday and taken by van to Whangarei while their luggage went on the plane. Four of the 10 spoken to by the Northern Advocate were furious they had been removed from the flight and asked why Air New Zealand - which runs Eagle Air flights at the airport - could not have said when they bought their tickets that there was a real risk of them having to go by road if it rained. Whangarei Age Concern president Beryl Wilkinson said she had been made to take a bus from Auckland instead of flying three times in the past two weeks, on one occasion not getting back until well after midnight. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued an instruction that from June 1 Eagle Air's Beech 1900 aircraft would have to approach the airport runway at a height of 50 feet, up from the 35-foot restriction that had been used at the airport for many years. Beech aircraft now have to land further down the runway, so when it's wet, or there is no headwind, the planes need to have a lighter landing weight so they can stop in time. The CAA said the action had been taken as an interim measure while an updated risk assessment was undertaken at Whangarei Airport. While it was not a safety issue, no date was set for ending the restriction. Whangarei District Council chief executive officer Mark Simpson said rumours that the runway was too short were wrong. It was lengthened and resurfaced four years ago to take larger Bombardier Q300 planes which could take 50 passengers, had different landing characteristics and could use the airport. He said Air NZ was talking to CAA to see if the height restrictions could be changed. An Eagle Air spokesman said the effect of the CAA instruction meant that, in wet weather, the maximum weight the aircraft could carry into Whangarei was reduced. "In practical terms, this means some wet-weather flying between Auckland and Whangarei has recently been replaced with a coach service. Where this has occurred, passengers have received disruption compensation and the opportunity to reschedule their travel," the spokesman said. Eagle Air had put measures in place to reduce the total number of seats available to be sold on flights between Auckland to Whangarei from 19 to 12 or fewer to reduce the likelihood of passengers being inconvenienced, but that was not possible where the flight was already fully booked. But the situation has left some passengers irate and several vowing not to fly from Whangarei Airport again. The 10 kicked off last Thursday were due to fly on the 12.25pm flight, but as they were due to board their Eagle Air flight they were told they had to go by van instead. One of them, Andrea Nixon, said Air NZ should inform passengers when they booked tickets that there was a real risk they could be off the flight if it rained. "If they had told us in advance we could have to get a van instead, we could make the informed decision whether to just go by car to ensure we get where we want to go at the time we need to be there at," she said. "They have known since the start of June that this is a possibility but when we are booking our tickets they don't tell us that we might not get on the plane if it's raining." Mrs Nixon said if their investors were coming to Whangarei, but were told they couldn't fly into the airport because of rain it would make the district look like a backwater. A businessman also in the van, who did not want to be named, said he would not fly from Whangarei Airport again. "I'll drive to Auckland from now on so I can be sure to get back on time. And it will be far less hassle," he said.

 

Source : http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/news/heavy-planes-cant-land-in-wet/1926336/