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This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.
The head of a Nelson-based passenger airline says part of the government loan agreement with Air New Zealand means that regional New Zealand should expect air service in the future.
Some regions were increasingly nervous about losing all air travel links after Covid-19, as regional airlines lower the government’s support list.
Originair’s Robert Inglis said it was not yet clear what the landscape would look like after the shutdown, but that regions already served by the national carrier should at least expect that to continue.
“Part of the requirement for the Air New Zealand government bailout, again, was that they had to maintain services in all the regions they had served,” Inglis said.
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Nelson was currently one of only five airports in the entire country that the airline was still serving, after it suspended all other national and regional services in response to the Covid-19 blockade.
It was operating only essential travel and air cargo, including a cargo freight service.
The government recently announced a $ 900 million loan to allow the airline to help New Zealanders stranded abroad return to their homes, and to maintain essential flights and cargo lines for products such as pharmaceuticals.
He also said that the agreement safeguards the home network.
The Nelson-Tasman Chamber of Commerce said air services within and outside the region were crucial to its economic survival.
Executive Director Alison Boswijk said the region was currently one of two halves, with some businesses working well and others suffering as a result of the closure.
MARION VAN DIJK / FAIRFAX NZ
Nelson is one of five airports across the country where the airline still serves, after suspending services for the Covid-19 blockade.
He said Nelson-Tasman was perhaps more fortunate than some regions where his various industries and businesses would protect him from the worst effects, but exporters and the traveling public were highly dependent on air services, due to the relative isolation of the region and the lack of a railway. Service.
“We do not have immediate access to any other transportation (options) to the North Island. We are a highly connected region at best and we want to maintain that connection in the worst case,” he said.
“It is really important that we can do that.”
Inglis said that Originair was a modest operation and that it had no debts, so it was able to weather the recession. It had no plans to expand beyond its current services, but the small airline’s fleet was expanding.
Inglis said the delivery of a new plane was scheduled for this week, but had now been postponed because the closure of the border meant it could not get this far.
“We have no plans to operate a New Zealand regional network. We are a very modest operator, based in Nelson, and we will continue as best we can to offer another option for Nelson travelers.”
Inglis predicted that it would be some time before the country saw the same level of regional transport demand as before Covid-19. He said the factors included economic restrictions, worries about the virus and the lack of international traffic.
“You must play the long game and we are watching a year or two, and I am sure the people of Nelson will still want to travel and we look forward to offering them an alternative.”
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.
