Local airports under threat
The NZ Airports Association claims up to 12 smaller airports face a funding crisis and it is challenging the Government to step up with $32m to ensure their survival.
In launching the FlyLocal NZ campaign association chief executive Kevin Ward said the country’s airports were split into ‘‘haves and have-nots.’’
Air links from regional airports were as important as state highways in promoting economic growth and employment, and for disaster response work, he said.
They also played a growing role in delivering health care with between 6000 and 10,000 patients and medical staff flown between smaller towns and city base hospitals each year.
‘‘Millions of dollars are poured into roads and rail, and for less than the cost of one bridge, the Government could secure the future for local airports and air services,’’ Ward said.
The campaign is seeking crossparty support for $32m over five years to help pay for critical facilities such as landing lights, runways, and terminals, and to underwrite the cost of passenger services where necessary. Once the ‘‘catch up’’ work had been done, about $5.2m a year in on-going funding would be sufficient, said Ward.
A report entitled ’’Linking the Long White Cloud’’ puts the case for redirecting income from Government shares in larger airports such as Christchurch, which last year paid the Crown $8.2m in dividends.
The isolated communities aviation fund would target airports classed as non commercial because they handled fewer than 200,000 passengers annually and were unable to cover their running and maintenance costs.
Those on the list included Kaitaia, Kerikeri, and Whangarei.
The Government owns a half share in five regional airports, but Ward said it provided only limited infrastructure funding, and a lot of the smaller airports were returning losses of up to $300,000 a year.
Financial pressures had been exacerbated by the ‘‘fiercely commercial’’ approach of bigger airlines which had pulled out of smaller centres, and by Airways’ need to return a profit from provision of air traffic control services. The report pointed out that airport subsidies for isolated communities were common overseas with every other OECD country funding regional air transport.