Airport CEO trading skies for garden
THE outgoing chief executive of Dunedin International Airport said the airport was winging its way back back to business as normal.
However, Richard Roberts said his replacement would still have work to do after the disruption caused by Covid.
Mr Roberts is leaving the airport at the end of this month after a sevenyear stint in the top role.
He said Covid severely impacted the entire sector and building back the business to a prepandemic level was a work in progress.
Nevertheless, with enough work the next chief executive might see the return of international flights, he said.
‘‘We’re about 70% to 80% to what we were before Covid — no, we’re not there yet but never say never.’’
Mr Roberts had to lay off 24% of his staff at the height of the pandemic.
‘‘It was really, really tough,’’ he said, marking it as the most difficult part of his career.
He said the biggest challenges the sector would face would be making air travel more environmentally friendly, dealing with ageing infrastructure and continuing to engage positively with the community.
‘‘I look forward to watching from the sidelines as to what is next for Dunedin Airport.’’
He said his tenure had been both difficult and rewarding, but the ordeal of Covid had left him feeling tired and like he needed a break.
‘‘It’s probably time to have a rest, I don’t know what’s going to happen.
‘‘It’s not until you get a bit of quiet time to realise where you’ve been and what you’ve done, and then how it affected yourself physically.’’
Mr Roberts has been with the airport since 1999, and signalled his intention to leave in July this year.
He will walk out the doors for good on September 30, looking to swap the skies for his garden.
He said he noticed some painting and renovation work needed doing around home, and thought now was the optimal time to tackle it since his two children (22 and 24) had moved out.
‘‘I might get in the old veggie garden and try to emulate my dad back in Barnsley, who grows onions as big as his head apparently.’’
He said he had been overwhelmed with the response to his resignation.
Although he was keen on retirement, switching off thinking about daytoday operations would be a challenge.
‘‘Crikey, anybody who’s got any advice on how to switch it off please give me a call. It’s always in the back of your mind,’’ he said.
Other than getting grubby in the garden, Mr Roberts planned to take his wife Louise to visit his family in the United Kingdom, something he had not done in the last seven years.