At the start of the year I wrote my armchair airline enthusiast's predictions for the year. You can see them here, http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2021/01/crystal-ball-gazing-for-2021.html
Six months on I wrote to a number of New Zealand's regional airlines asking them seven questions about their airline as they offer air services to our regional centres. I tried to make the questions generic and not commercially sensitive but at the same time offer a glimpse of our regional airlines and some of the challenges they have and how they rise above them. This is all part of recording our NZ regional airline history as it captures a glimpse of our airlines and those who run them.
Sadly since I sent the questions Fly My Sky has been placed in liquidation.
But a number of airlines have responded and they have written some interesting stuff... I'll start posting them next week...
And if you operate a regional airline, didn't hear from me, and you would like to be part of this series flick me an email and I'll send you seven questions
With Fly My Sky gone into liquidation who's going to serve Okiwi and Matamata from Auckland?
ReplyDeleteMatamata ended before lockdown... in fact it never really took off! Okiwi wasn't served by FMS on a regular basis as far as I am aware.
ReplyDeleteFlyMySky
ReplyDeleteshame to see them gone.. I really wanted to fly those Islanders..
With five months left of this strange year a year on from of this different world "post Covid..." I think it will be status quo but potentially looking into a year from now
GBA
Really exciting to see this little island airline doing really well. With Kaitia doing well with Barrier growing the service frequency, Whitianga in the wings, I'll be following this with interest, and with the Barrier all but down to them as all but exclusive flyers... I Hope, and the post below suggest that fares will remain reasonable. I could see at least another aircraft in the fleet to fill demand (if any extra that FlyMySky had) or two. I see with New Zealand growing and as long as Whitianga it a success and even grows, I feel that there could be demand within the Hauraki region and even look at Thames and Matamata (Business clients) with direct flights to Auckland on offer... There is money and wealth within this community
Originair..... How crazy would it sound with a bit of a slow start and covid and the ever pushed start.... With a sizable fleet of Four 19 seat J32 Pressurized aircraft... Could they even be looking at contending a bit more of a presence within the aviation screen... Could they even be looking at a bit of a competition for growth.... Take on Sounds air and start flights between Wellington and Taupo or Blenheim to Christchurch a flight.. Could they sneak in and look to operate Masterton to Auckland...
Sounds Air
Steady as she goes really, unless there is any potential from Taupo or the Blenheim to Christchurch or even Wanaka, Originair could grow these... Probably no chance of Sounds ever getting anything on the scale as those B1900s that they were initially looking at although those electric 19 seaters could become something...
Air Chatham's I think they have what they have sewn up unless Air NZ drop any Auckland based flights such as Taupo (Some here and on various forums suggests that Taupo is not looking in great shape as a Air NZ route) Masterton has always been in the wings when they sort out the runway. Then there has been possibly a Whakatane to Wellington or even PPQ to Chch as route addons to their current destinations...
Thames and Matamata will never work. Have a look at the populations of both. If OAM couldn't sustain a Air service the several times one has been tried, smaller populations like Thames and Matamata wont be able to sustain one. I mean where does it end, services to Opotiki? Tokoroa? Wairoa? Balclutha?
ReplyDeleteIt is much harder to convince a town that has never had a air service to get on board then a town that has had one before. NZ in general is a very air minded country, but the car will always win out. You will never get meaningful scheduled loads of people out of Matamata when people are more then used to driving to HLZ, TRG and AKL for their flights. The car wins out