Commercial air service for Oamaru

[Dave Homewood]

From
tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411415/759920

Commercial air service for Oamaru
Jun 21, 2006

Oamaru mayor Alan McLay says he is ecstatic that the town will have a commercial air service again after 15 years without one.

Air NZ has announced it will run a return service six days a week between Oamaru and Christchurch, through its subsidiary Eagle Air. Air NZ pulled out of Oamaru in 1990 and Air Nelson ceased flying there the following year.

McLay says the return of commercial flights is an acknowledgement the town is growing.

Initially, there will be six return flights per week with one return trip daily Monday - Friday during peak morning and evening times, and a Friday night departure with return to Oamaru on Sunday.

Sales of the new service begin on Thursday.

[corsair67]

Well, Oamaru now needs to put its money where its mouth is and use this service or lose it.

Will be interesting to see how this goes over the next 12 months.

[xr6turbo1]

Thats great news, well done Air NZ, good to see the big airlines heading back to smaller areas that they used to service.

[Dave Homewood]

I guess some of the smaller areas are growing now into bigger areas. I know poor little Cambridge is, and the idiots ripped out our railway line about ten years ago, now it would be very welcome. Also, our airport was closed down many decades ago, but I doubt they'd get a 737 into the centre of the racecourse now anyway...

[DragonflyDH90]

I give 12 - 18 mths, sorry to be a pessimist...

[Peter Lewis]

I went in there once - about eight years ago - really spooky, the empty terminal building just sitting there gathering cobwebs. About the only thing missing were the tumbleweeds and Clint Eastwood. Had to phone someone from the aeroclub to unlock the main gate so we could get out. Quite like Oamaru as a town though.