The Timing was Perfect

 

Air Chathams has marked a decade of flying in and out of Whanganui. Chief executive Duane Emeny was in the city this week to celebrate the milestone, addressing guests at the airport terminal.

He told the Chronicle Whanganui and Air Chathams “took a punt” on each other in 2016.

Air New Zealand pulled its Whanganui to Auckland service that July, citing low passenger numbers and people using Palmerston North airport.

After a meeting with then Whanganui mayor Annette Main and then MP Chester Borrows, Air Chathams stepped in, Emeny said.

“They sat down in front of us and said the district could not afford to lose air service connectivity to Auckland.

“We’d come from a place where we had quite an established airline in Tonga, but that stopped. We needed to regrow our business.

“The timing was perfect, and it was perfect to purchase our first Saab and bring it into Whanganui.”

Last May, Air Chathams and Whanganui District Council signed a memorandum of understanding to work on a business case for the airline’s relocation to the city.

A potential Whanganui to Christchurch route has also been discussed.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said Air Chathams needed to be successful as a business.

“We have a role to play in helping them achieve their goals, and we’re here to clear the roadblocks and open the runway up to make it happen,” he said.

“It’s tough being an airline these days. It’s about helping them grow but be profitable at the same time.”

An interline agreement allowing passengers to book Air Chathams connecting flights through Air New Zealand expanded to Whanganui earlier this month.

Tripe said he hoped the agreement would lead to “a huge increase” in passenger numbers. “Taking Whanganui to the world and bringing the world to Whanganui is something that’s really important to me.”

Whanganui MP Carl Bates said he, Emeny and Tripe met with the district’s business community this week.

“It was around how we make sure this airline is sustainable in terms of the Whanganui to Auckland route,” Bates said.

“What’s really clear is that having this route has driven job opportunities for people.”

Emeny said by 2036, he wanted to see a doubling or tripling of Air Chathams’ fleet, and more direct services out of Whanganui.

The airline had six Saab 340s, and it was “the aircraft of choice for us”.

“It will be for the next 10 years as well. It has proven itself here in Whanganui.”

Source: Whanganui Chronicle