Air Chathams picks up grounded Paraparaumu-Auckland service

Air Chathams has announced it will take over a flight service between Paraparaumu and Auckland after Air New Zealand pulled out.

From August 20, Air Chathams will operate 36 flights a week between Auckland and Ka¯piti Coast, a new regional route for the family-owned airline, which will offer travellers up to 1152 seats per week on board its fleet of Saab 340 aircraft.

“As an airline that is committed to the regions in New Zealand, we are absolutely delighted to be launching a new service in Ka¯piti,” said owner Craig Emeny.

“We think the route has a huge amount of potential, and . . . we are excited about delivering an airline service that will make a positive contribution to Ka¯piti’s future regional economic growth.”

The airline has been talking with the Ka¯piti Coast District Council for months, after Air New Zealand stopped flying the route to Auckland.

The council agreed to support Air Chathams through the “Fly Ka¯piti” campaign, which includes a $50,000 marketing investment which Air New Zealand will match.

Ka¯piti Coast Airport, which is owned by Todd Property, has also offered Air Chathams a free terminal lease for the first year, along with other ongoing discounts on operating charges to support the successful start-up of a new service.

“We would like to acknowledge the support we have received from these organisations. They have all worked hard to offer substantial support, to ensure that a direct service from Ka¯piti to Auckland will resume,” Emeny said.

Mayor K. Gurunathan thanked the many players involved in attracting an airline back to Ka¯piti to offer this direct to Auckland service.

“From the minute it was announced Ka¯piti flights were being withdrawn, I told Ka¯ piti to ‘watch this space’. Now all the hard work with business, community and government to rally support to attract and secure air services for our district has paid off.”

Established in the mid-1980s on the Chatham Islands, flying live crayfish to the mainland, Air Chathams is New Zealand’s largest privately owned airline, operating more than 80 flights per week.