Air service promises tourism boost

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 679, 25 March 1997, Page 1

Air service promises tourism boost

Awatershed tourism event is set to occur on Tuesday 4 April, when Ruapehu's first-ever scheduled passenger flight leaves the Chateau airstrip, bound for Auckland International Airport. "We believe the timing is right for this move, with the growth in tourism in recent years," said Robin McKenzie of Mountain Air, the company that will be operating the regular service. "Most tourist industry people you talk to say that it is really important to have a regular air service into a district to ensure continued growth," she explained. The flights will leave their Chateau Airfield base on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the afternoons, stopping at Turangi to pick up more passengers. The flights will take 75 minutes. Mrs McKenzie said the schedule had been planned partly to suit busy city people who want to ski Ruapehu for a day, but can't afford much time away. Also targeted are tourists flying into Auckland, bound for this area

for outdoor activities such as trout fishing. She said they were starting in April to give themselves time to settle into the system. The move is a major change for Mountain Air which has until now been a scenic flights operator. The flight rules are quite different and they have had to upgrade a number of their procedures. Scenic flights operate only about 120daysayear — they need very good weather for obvious reasons — so the passenger service has been developed to make use of the aircraft outside the usual scenic flights times. Mrs McKenzie said they have been really pleased with the level of cooperation from hotels and lodges who have worked with them to develop package deals. The move is the first stage of an overall plan which they hope will later include flights to Ward's airstrip near Raetihi. "Ohakune people have been very much involved and supportive," she said.