troppo
8th Oct 2004, 06:53
City air link offers $56 fare
08 October 2004
By SUE ALLEN
A city-hopper air service begins at Paraparaumu Airport next month.
The air2there service will fly a continuous circular shuttle from Paraparaumu to Wellington, Blenheim, Masterton and Palmerston North.
Murray Cole, chairman of Integra Investments, which is behind the service, said the air link made sense because of New Zealand's network of small airports and busy roads.
"We have probably got more (airports) per head of population than anywhere else in the world because of a wonderful Ministry of Works in the 1940s.
"Then every little town wanted its own airport and now they are under-utilised and yet we have problem with the roads being clogged up," he said.
The first flight of the day will leave Paraparaumu at 6.40am and go to Wellington and Blenheim, back to Paraparaumu, Palmerston North and Masterton, and then return to Paraparaumu.
The last flight returns to Paraparaumu from Wellington at 7.05pm.
Flights are timed to connect with international departures from Wellington and Palmerston North airports, and with ferry crossings.
The standard fare for each leg is $56, but that could drop to $28 for a limited number of seats bought on a 20-trip ticket and includes all charges and GST.
Mr Cole said Integra Investments had spent nine months developing the timetable, which was aimed at capturing commuters, day shoppers and travellers. A weekend schedule was also offered for people wanting to get away.
Integra has invested about $4 million on upgrading Paraparaumu Airport's facilities and on the plane, a Prop Jet Cessna C208B Grand Caravan, which will have nine passenger seats initially.
Mr Cole's company bought Paraparaumu Airport for $1.6 million in 1995.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe auditor-general is investigating the sale after a transport select committee finding that the sale process was seriously flawed and had not protected the interests of the former owners, Te Whanau a Te Ngarara.
But Mr Cole said he had no concerns over the future of the airport.
As air2there needed only about three passengers to break even, flights would leave to timetable even if they were not full.
"If we can get sufficient patronage we can increase the frequency so it could get to the point where people would know there was a flight from Wellington to Blenheim every hour and even if they hadn't booked and it was full they would just have to wait an hour for the next one."
The airline formally opens on November 19, but will start taking Internet bookings next week.
Mr Cole said the company had already divided New Zealand into air2there sections.
If the idea took off the service would be expanded using the same section-based fares but creating new air-link hubs around the country, he said.
08 October 2004
By SUE ALLEN
A city-hopper air service begins at Paraparaumu Airport next month.
The air2there service will fly a continuous circular shuttle from Paraparaumu to Wellington, Blenheim, Masterton and Palmerston North.
Murray Cole, chairman of Integra Investments, which is behind the service, said the air link made sense because of New Zealand's network of small airports and busy roads.
"We have probably got more (airports) per head of population than anywhere else in the world because of a wonderful Ministry of Works in the 1940s.
"Then every little town wanted its own airport and now they are under-utilised and yet we have problem with the roads being clogged up," he said.
The first flight of the day will leave Paraparaumu at 6.40am and go to Wellington and Blenheim, back to Paraparaumu, Palmerston North and Masterton, and then return to Paraparaumu.
The last flight returns to Paraparaumu from Wellington at 7.05pm.
Flights are timed to connect with international departures from Wellington and Palmerston North airports, and with ferry crossings.
The standard fare for each leg is $56, but that could drop to $28 for a limited number of seats bought on a 20-trip ticket and includes all charges and GST.
Mr Cole said Integra Investments had spent nine months developing the timetable, which was aimed at capturing commuters, day shoppers and travellers. A weekend schedule was also offered for people wanting to get away.
Integra has invested about $4 million on upgrading Paraparaumu Airport's facilities and on the plane, a Prop Jet Cessna C208B Grand Caravan, which will have nine passenger seats initially.
Mr Cole's company bought Paraparaumu Airport for $1.6 million in 1995.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe auditor-general is investigating the sale after a transport select committee finding that the sale process was seriously flawed and had not protected the interests of the former owners, Te Whanau a Te Ngarara.
But Mr Cole said he had no concerns over the future of the airport.
As air2there needed only about three passengers to break even, flights would leave to timetable even if they were not full.
"If we can get sufficient patronage we can increase the frequency so it could get to the point where people would know there was a flight from Wellington to Blenheim every hour and even if they hadn't booked and it was full they would just have to wait an hour for the next one."
The airline formally opens on November 19, but will start taking Internet bookings next week.
Mr Cole said the company had already divided New Zealand into air2there sections.
If the idea took off the service would be expanded using the same section-based fares but creating new air-link hubs around the country, he said.