19 May 2020

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Airways' proposal to withdraw services from Rotorua Airport

Enquiry

I'm just looking for a reaction from the mayor on this latest development about the airways story.

Rotorua Airport issued the following statement:

Rotorua Airport and Airways have agreed to advance discussions around the future of the region's Air Traffic Control Services.

Following a hearing in the High Court earlier today, Rotorua Airport Chief Executive Mark Gibb and Airways Chief Executive Graeme Sumner said both parties will proceed towards an arbitration process, but in parallel attempt to advance commercial alternatives. Both parties are open to discussing the future provision of all services provided to Rotorua Airport by Airways, acknowledging the challenges faced by both organisations resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Sumner said while Airways may indicate a decision to withdraw services, it will not issue a notice under the Collective Employment Agreements to terminate the employment of any air traffic control staff at Rotorua or give notice to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to withdraw services before June 1 2020. Mr Gibb noted that this creates the space for arbitration fixture to hear interim measures next week, so that Rotorua's concerns can be heard.

Both Mr Sumner and Mr Gibb expressed optimism that a satisfactory agreement could reached.

Response

From Mayor Chadwick:

Rotorua needs a fully functioning and safe airport - that's crucial to our district's economic recovery and Airways withdrawing its services would put that in jeopardy. So we have been fighting and lobbying hard to prevent that from happening.

Legal action is a last resort and is a decision for the airport CCO, but we've been clear in saying that if we lose these services it will have a direct and significant impact on local tourism that will further undermine confidence at a really critical time. We believe Airways has acted prematurely.

As part of our economic recovery we are trying to re-start our tourism industry which will also boost sectors like accommodation, hospitality and retail and that's aligned to national efforts with regards to tourism. Airways' withdrawal would compromise Rotorua's relevance as a destination for visitors and as a place where people want to work, study and live.

For your added info (if you don't already have this info), along with general passenger flights, Rotorua's airspace also accommodates three aerodromes (Rotorua Airport, Rotorua Lakefront, Rotorua Hospital) within 5 nautical miles of each other and about 40 heliports and airstrips within, or on the edge of, the controlled airspace.

And see HERE, for your reference, the 24 April statement from the Mayor about this.