Palmerston North Airport's boss is vowing to bring direct flights
to Nelson back because patronage is high and the service is a litmus test for
route development. Air New Zealand announced this week that flights between
Nelson and Palmerston North would be among five regional routes to be axed in
April. Palmerston North Airport chief executive David Lanham said it was
"disappointing" but called it a "minor blip" in the
airport's regional routes growth plan. He said there was no forewarning from
Air New Zealand. "It's just disappointing, we were very happy with the
growth on the route." He said the Nelson route was about 5 per cent of the
airport's traffic and they planned to get it reinstated. "We won't be
giving up on getting Nelson back because we know a lot of our customers really
enjoyed that service and patronage was really high. We're still very confident
that we can continue with our route development plans." He said he would
wait for Air New Zealand to address its issues. "Then we can get stuck in
to Air New Zealand again for route development." The Palmerston North to
Nelson route was re-introduced last year after a five-year hiatus. Massey
University student Josie Weston travels home to Nelson during her holiday
breaks. She said it was a "real shame" that the service would be
cancelled. "Being from Nelson but studying at Massey in Palmerston North,
it has been amazing being able to get home so easily. "I know a lot of
students will be really disappointed with them not running these flights as of
next year." There would especially be disappointment about "the
increased cost we will now have to pay to get home for holidays and to see
family". She said it would take three to five hours to get home once the
flights were axed "instead of the easy 45-minute direct flight". "I
have used the ferry a couple of times but just found it too long of a day, even
though it is cheaper." Lanham said the Nelson route was important to the
airport because it showed that Air New Zealand felt confident there was
opportunity for regional growth. "We felt that that would mean they would
be open to other new routes as well." Lanham had his sights set on
building stronger links to main centres and other regions. He has been
campaigning for direct flights between Palmerston North and Tauranga. "That's
still on the radar," he said. "It's not a dead duck. Lanham was
pleased with the news that Air New Zealand would be increasing the size of the
carrier. He said the changes to the aircraft were good news as it meant a
reduction in fares. Air New Zealand will move from 19-seat aircraft to a
50-seat Q300 aircraft on the Palmerston North to Wellington route and the
Palmerston North to Hamilton route.
Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/63149572/Airport-boss-vows-link-to-Nelson-will-return
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