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It looks like another air war is looming in the Chatham Islands... While there have been numerous competitors looking to fly to the Chathams over the years they have not really landed many punches. This latest round is certainly going to be big.
Round 1, which was more a sparring round was between Safe Air and lightweight Air Chathams starting with a Cessna 337 and providing the first competition to Safe Air on the Chatham Islands run.
For more see : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2016/01/air-chathams-30-years-on.html
Round 2 was when it got bloody with Air Chathams and Mount Cook Airlines slogging it out.
For more see : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2014/05/mount-cook-airline-and-its-air-war-with.html
Now it looks to become brutal with Texel Air weighing in for what could well be a knockout round.
This morning Newsroom posted a really interesting article... The full article can be found here.. https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/04/17/nz-first-donor-launches-airline-war-on-chatham-islands... A few key points follow...
Visiting government and business leaders, disembarking an Air Force Hercules, were met this week by the unexpected sight of a big fresh-painted Boeing 737 freighter unloading at Chatham Island’s tiny airport... It flew in food and supplies for this week’s regional development summit on the island, 800km off the east coast off New Zealand, and minister Shane Jones invited Texel’s directors to take part alongside public sector chief executives and infrastructure bosses.
Texel has had a difficult arrival in the remote island community. After initially holding talks last year to partner with Air Chathams, Texel has instead suddenly moved onto the local airline’s patch as a competitor, sparking terse exchanges and claims. This month it’s brought in containers and forklifts to support a planned fortnightly freight service to and from the island. Chisholm says his company brought the 21-tonne capacity Boeing over to support Jones’ regional infrastructure summit. It was largely empty, carrying only some food and beverages for the estimated 150 summit attendees, as well as a couple of pallets of chilly bins for local fishers. Chisholm plans a fortnightly service, bringing in supplies in bulk to help mitigate islanders’ soaring cost of living, and taking out the Chathams’ seafood to markets around the world.
Air Chathams has been upgrading its fleet and hopes to soon will add a 737 that can land on Tuuta Airport’s extended runway. The company is well-loved, locally. It was founded by the Emeny family, who are seventh-generation islanders. It has eight planes – two 68-seat ATR-72s, five smaller Saab-340s, and a little island-hopping Cessna.
Chisholm acknowledged talk that Air Chathams’ was sending a deliberate message about the small airport’s capacity to handle two airlines: “I’m not really getting into that. We’re just here to do our job... We’ve got a mission, and we want to bring the aircraft here on a regular basis. And, as I said, grow the business for the island, and make change and help the island grow.”
Air Chathams chief operating officer Duane Emeny, whose parents founded the company, says there’s not enough room for two operators on an island with fewer than 700 people. If the island’s export economy grows, Air Chathams will expand its fleet...
“Obviously, Texel have their own plans and ambitions within New Zealand, and for some reason, they’ve identified an opportunity with the Chatham Islands. That’s their right. If they think there’s a market there and they can do something about it, then they’re able to do that. He was disappointed that talks with Texel had fallen over; Air Chathams had ended plans to partner with another company, Airwork Group, in order to partner Texel. We’ve been on the Chathams for 40 years. We’re part of the island. We obviously put the map very proudly on our tail. As you know, I’m a seventh-generation Chatham Islander. That means a lot to us, and me personally. There’s really good loyalty on the island, and people are choosing not to take up the offers that have been put there by Texel. They’re choosing to stay local with us, which is really nice. And so that further motivates us to keep doing the right thing by the community.”
My profile on Texel Air can be found here : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2023/06/texel-air-our-new-air-freight-operator.html
Histories of previous air services to the Chathams can be found here :
https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2012/05/chatham-islands-index-of-posts.html
I think, and hope that the Chatham Islanders realise that if they support this new freight operator, they will severely risk their daily passenger air service. I’m not sure Air Chathams would be able to support a passenger only operation. Then the government will need to step in and bring in another operator.
ReplyDeleteAs a chatham Islander (albeit an import of 20 years) I feel I can comment on this with a local lense.
ReplyDeleteAir Chathams have actually failed to read some of the mood of the island. A lot of us feel the Chatham operation has been taking a backseat to the Mainland operation for a long time. We are sick of being pushed around - cancelled flights/delays, for, say, another flight to Whanganui. Rocked up once when the Fifa World Cup was on in Auckland. Oh sorry, flight is cancelled with no reason given. Only to find out later that Air Chathams wanted the ATR for a Fifa Charter to Palmerston North. No warning to CHT bound pax, and no assistance from the Airline to find accommodation in a city already filled to the brim with tourists. $400 for a pokey motel room at our cost. No help from Air Chats and no apology either. For an $1150 return airfare, better is expected.
This an extremely common story (as with most airlines I admit) Most Islanders I know now book Travel Insurance for a simple trip to the Mainland.
In years gone by, the Airline was one Islanders were proud of, and fiercely loyal too. Ask now, and a lot of Islanders would say something different. Islanders are not stupid, we know that an operation to an island at the edge of the map is going to be difficult. Weather especially can hamper operations for days on end. We are used to it and it's certainly not the airlines fault. As is trying to keep the service profitable. Hence why we don't complain about the high cost of airfares.
However Air Chats getting their nose out of joint about Texel coming in, and then Islanders wanting to support a carrier than can offer cheaper freight rates. Cost of living is hard enough on the Mainland, let alone out here. $17 for 2L of milk is getting high. If Texel can offer freight prices lower than Air Chats, that's their perogative. Texel didn't just randomly pick the Chathams, they were invited here by a group of frustrated locals.
Yes, Freight makes up a massive chunk of revenue for Air Chats on the Island run. And maybe it would risk passenger service. In that case maybe the Government would need to step up and work something out.
While I'm sure I don't speak for every Islander, these thoughts definitely reflect the views of those in my immediate day to day life.
Bring on Texel I say! I managed to get a bit of freight brought across on the 737 that once upon a time fitted in the Connie, but doesn't fit in the ATR. Plus the freight rate was far less then I paid 10 years ago.
The next year or so will prove very interesting for Air services to the Chathams.
I agree with most of Weka's comment. Let Texel Air operate general and heavy air freight and Air Chathams operate passenger and priority light freight.
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