06 July 2017

Taupo doing well



Taupo residents and visitors are continuing to reap the benefits of an air link to Wellington thanks to the strong relationship between Taupo District Council and Sounds Air. In a recent report to the Taupo Airport Authority Committee, airport manager Mike Groome said passenger numbers on Sounds Air’s Taupo to Wellington route at May were 2238 for 2017, up from 2122 for the same period last year. The positive numbers come two years into a six-year agreement between Taupo District Council and the Marlborough-based air operator, which showed interest in the Taupo to Wellington route after Air New Zealand announced it would cease offering the service in April 2015. The agreement sees Sounds Air provide at least three return flights each weekday and two return flights on Saturdays and Sundays. In return, council guarantees the first three seats per flight. To date, no financial contribution from the council has been required as part of the underwriting agreement. Mayor David Trewavas said Sounds Air’s commitment to the route has been a real coup for the Taupo District. "An air link between Taupo and the capital is absolutely vital for our district’s economic development, both in terms of visitors who want to travel to our district, and for businesses that need to operate from both here and Wellington. "In 2015 there was overwhelming support from the community for Sounds Air to bring an aircraft to Taupo to pick up the route, and it’s great to see that support continuing." Sounds Air general manager Andrew Crawford said he was very happy to see increasing passenger numbers on the Taupo to Wellington route. "We are already two years into operating the Taupo to Wellington air service and we are very pleased with the support we are getting from the local communities. It always difficult starting a new operation but the support we have had from the business and leisure travellers has been exceptional. "We look forward to continuing to develop the service long into the future." Flights between Taupo and Wellington on Sound’s Air’s nine-seater single-engine turboprop Pilatus PC12 take around 45 minutes and cost $219, with concession prices available for frequent flyers.

9 comments:

  1. Good to see the locals supporting you Soundsair! Hope the service continues to grow

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  2. It's great to see locals supporting this little private airline.

    Back when Eagle flew the route, fares started at well below $100 yet some flights still operated with less than 5 and occasionally just 1 or nobody at all.

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  3. It is suprising that th WAG to WLG route did not peform well for Sounds. Perhaps the council there should offer some sort of gaurantee then the route may get re-instated.

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    1. WAG-WLG didn't work well for Air NZ - part of their solution was to fly a 1900 TUO-WAG-WLG to try and fill it. The biggest comptition on the WAG-WLG was the car... how to convince people to get out of the car and fly to WLG instead or, for destinations beyond WLG, to convince people that the Sounds Air flight was a better option than driving to PMR and flying from there.

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  4. Yes, its as quick to drive from Whanganui to Wellington, and cheaper. If you are headed further South you can quickly reach Palmerston North and enter the Air NZ system, both domestic and overseas. There is no future for southern flights from WAG.
    The May report for Taupo shows that in the first five months of 2016 there were 2122 passengers on Soundsair TUO-WLG/WLG-TUO; in 2017 for the same period it was 2238 for a cumulative load factor of 62% and a monthly load factor of 66%. The corresponding figures to Auckland on Air NZ were 15610 (2016) and 20411 (2017) for a cumulative load factor of 68.5% in 2017.

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    1. Right planes for the right routes.

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    2. "Right planes for the right routes"

      What happens if you have an engine failure?

      Where do you go?

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    3. Now I'm no genius, but I'm guessing you land?

      Perhaps google some statistics before starting this debate.. I seem to recall a rather disturbing video of an ATR turning upside down and hitting a bridge recently.. Another of a kingair in Aus... I think you'll find the PC-12 and Caravan are a very safe place to be and the statistics absolutely support this. Naysayers really don't have any evidence to support their argument. Opinions are not evidence :)

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