Westport’s only scheduled air service will stop again on Friday – three days before the Government is expected to decide whether it will provide financial support.
No Westport-Wellington flights are listed on the airline’s website after Friday. Originair has been flying between Westport and the capital on Mondays and Fridays.
Managing director Robert Inglis said he understood government support for the route would be considered at a Cabinet meeting next Monday (August 31).
He said the airline was “obviously disappointed” that Government support for the Westport-Wellington flights had not been confirmed before the May-August interim support from West Coast ended.
Mr Inglis said Originair could restart the service, but it would depend on financial support from central or local government. The ability to resume flights would depend on how many flights were supported and the availability of aircraft and crews.
Passenger demand had increased during the interim support period, he said. But the stop-start nature of the support had affected demand and the uncertainty meant Originair could not schedule flights beyond Friday into the 2026-27 peak travel period.
The DWC support had given the market some certainty during the traditionally quieter winter period and highlighted the need for air services to support healthcare and economic development on the Coast, Mr Inglis said.
He remained hopeful the Government would support the route through Kāinga Regional Airline Support Package (RASP).
Originair understood about 24m of the 30m package had been allocated to other regional airlines for debt refinancing or aircraft financing, he said.
“To date we have had no indications of support from Government on the RASP funding option.”
A ministerial spokesman for Mr Jones told the News on July 31 that ministers were “currently considering options and will have more to say in coming weeks”.
Asked for an update on August 14, the spokesman said a decision had not been made because Cabinet was in recess.
This week Mr Jones’ office said the Government was continuing to consider support options for essential regional air routes. “Any announcements will be made in due course,” the spokeswoman said.
Originair took over the Westport-Wellington route in January 2025 after Sounds Air pulled out at the end of 2024 because of rising costs. Sounds Air provided more flights and a more frequent timetable than Originair, and operated a smaller nine-seater plane.
Originair initially offered six flights a week using 18-seat aircraft but reduced its winter schedule to four flights a week.
The airline later sought support through the Regional Infrastructure Fund but withdrew when it was told it did not meet the criteria.
Originair was seeking support for the loss-making Westport-Wellington route rather than for the wider airline.
In March, the airline announced it would pull out of Westport on May 1 unless it received government assistance. At the time, Mr Inglis said the route was costing Originair shareholders about $500,000 a year.
The Buller District Council held a meeting with Regional Development Minister Shane Jones in April to discuss other options for government support.
The Government had made no decision when the flights stopped on May 1. DWC stepped in a few days later with a four-week support package to underwrite unsold seats while the Government considered longer-term support. The twice-weekly flights resumed on May 18.
DWC extended its support for another 10 weeks in June.
At the time, DWC economic development manager Fiona Hill said DWC’s support had always been intended as a short-term bridging measure while a sustainable long-term solution was found.
Earlier this month DWC confirmed it would not extend the funding offer.
Source: Westport News
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