Post by flyjoe180 on Sept 12, 2007 8:50:00 GMT 12
www.stuff.co.nz/4198398a13.html
Air Nelson is boosting its regional fleet because of rising popularity of flying to New Zealand's provincial centres.
The Air New Zealand-owned subsidiary is buying two 50-seat Bombardier Q300 aircraft, worth about $23 million each.
Air Nelson currently has 17 Q300 aircraft, and will increase that number to 23 by May 2009. The 18th aircraft will go into service next month and Air Nelson already has another three aircraft on order from the Bombardier plant in Montreal, Canada.
General manager John Hambleton said the internet and cheaper airfares helped make the regions more accessible, with more people choosing to live in those places, which boosted demand for flights.
"We've seen a big increase in migrants to New Zealand over the last five years and a lot of those people choose places like Nelson, Napier and Tauranga to settle and these are people that travel," Hambleton said. "It's good to see the New Zealand regions alive and well."
Air Nelson, which employs 460 people across the country including 230 in Nelson, would be creating an additional 50 jobs over the next 18 months for pilots, crew and engineers. About 20 of these would be based in Nelson.
By 2009, Air Nelson would have increased its capacity by more than 40% on existing levels.
There would be some additional routes, but they wouldn't be announced until the two newest aircraft arrived in 2009, Hambleton said.
He said the expansion had nothing to do with Pacific Blue entering the New Zealand domestic market.
"We're really not focused on them to be frank. We think what we are providing to our market is a good service and we are continuing to provide what the market needs," Hambleton said.
"A lot of these other things come along, who knows what they might represent. There's no point boxing at shadows."
Pacific Blue would initially fly Christchurch-Wellington-Auckland, and Queenstown and Rotorua were likely to be added.
Air Nelson, which flies under the Air New Zealand Link banner, to regional centres including, Napier, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Nelson, carries 1.6m passengers a year.
Hambleton said he hoped to increase passenger numbers but wouldn't say by how much.
Air Nelson is boosting its regional fleet because of rising popularity of flying to New Zealand's provincial centres.
The Air New Zealand-owned subsidiary is buying two 50-seat Bombardier Q300 aircraft, worth about $23 million each.
Air Nelson currently has 17 Q300 aircraft, and will increase that number to 23 by May 2009. The 18th aircraft will go into service next month and Air Nelson already has another three aircraft on order from the Bombardier plant in Montreal, Canada.
General manager John Hambleton said the internet and cheaper airfares helped make the regions more accessible, with more people choosing to live in those places, which boosted demand for flights.
"We've seen a big increase in migrants to New Zealand over the last five years and a lot of those people choose places like Nelson, Napier and Tauranga to settle and these are people that travel," Hambleton said. "It's good to see the New Zealand regions alive and well."
Air Nelson, which employs 460 people across the country including 230 in Nelson, would be creating an additional 50 jobs over the next 18 months for pilots, crew and engineers. About 20 of these would be based in Nelson.
By 2009, Air Nelson would have increased its capacity by more than 40% on existing levels.
There would be some additional routes, but they wouldn't be announced until the two newest aircraft arrived in 2009, Hambleton said.
He said the expansion had nothing to do with Pacific Blue entering the New Zealand domestic market.
"We're really not focused on them to be frank. We think what we are providing to our market is a good service and we are continuing to provide what the market needs," Hambleton said.
"A lot of these other things come along, who knows what they might represent. There's no point boxing at shadows."
Pacific Blue would initially fly Christchurch-Wellington-Auckland, and Queenstown and Rotorua were likely to be added.
Air Nelson, which flies under the Air New Zealand Link banner, to regional centres including, Napier, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Nelson, carries 1.6m passengers a year.
Hambleton said he hoped to increase passenger numbers but wouldn't say by how much.
