Two carriers at Hawke’s Bay Airport, Air Napier and Skyline Aviation (NZ Air Ambulance Service and Jet Charters NZ), have recently been granted special licences to clear customs in Hawke’s Bay and run direct international flights.
From CEOs to vital organs, this new clearance is a game-changer - so what is it really like to clear customs in Napier? Reporter Mitchell Hageman finds out.
It’s official. Internationally-cleared business titans, famous faces, politicians, and medical saviours can now fly directly into and out of Hawke’s Bay airport without navigating “ad hoc” situations or stopping in one of the main NZ airports.
This doesn’t mean Hawke’s Bay will host New Zealand’s newest international airport, though, nor does it mean any old jet or commercial passenger plane can fly in without meeting specific conditions.
Non-scheduled passenger flights can have a maximum of 14 passengers and crew only. Air freight operations and medical flights are exempt from this.
But what actually is this process? How does it work? And why is it good for a region like Hawke’s Bay?
At 11am on a brisk autumn day a car arrives at the Hawke’s Bay Today offices. The BMW 7 Series is decked out with everything a VIP would want: water, snacks, good air conditioning, you name it.
This is part of Air Napier’s service to high-value clients and business people coming into Hawke’s Bay directly from overseas.
The airline is a fully operational fixed base operations (FBO) centre, providing private plane charters and 24-hour service.
Air Napier has a Customs-controlled area (CCA) and its own private terminal.
It’s door-to-door service, with champagne on arrival, a catered spread, and a friendly face to greet you with a coffee and a smile.
It’s hard to believe you’ll clear Customs within 10 minutes and be on your way to that important business meeting or a round of golf at Cape Kidnappers.
Air Napier chief executive Shah Aslam and chief operating officer Arsel Aslam hope that full-service private jet experiences like this, which are now easier to achieve due to the Customs-controlled area clearance, will help significantly increase tourism revenue and business opportunities in Hawke’s Bay.
“The biggest asset of [being a Customs-controlled area] is that it brings not only high net worth leisure travellers but also business opportunities to Hawke’s Bay,” Arsel noted.
“We think about the apple and wine industries; these big players want to come here, complete their business and head out because they most likely have other places to be as well.”
Besides the arrival lounge and car service, Air Napier uses two rooms during its new international offering. One of them handles bags and checks luggage, while the other is for any other Customs business and paperwork.
“When they come in the building is shut down. We have NZ Customs staff in here, as well as MPI biosecurity staff and our own staff who have all been cleared by the various government security agencies,” Arsel said.
Depending on how guests want to make the most of the hospitality, they could be out and ready to go in under 10 minutes.
“For many of these people, time is money,” Shah said. “Seamlessness is part of the package.”
These markets for business and pleasure are teeming with economic opportunities, not only from the client spending but also the staff they bring.
“We’ve waited a long time, and it has taken a lot of effort, but it benefits everyone,” Shah said of the Customs clearance.
“People think it’s just Air Napier that is benefiting, but it’s also the contractors and staff we bring in as well. Servicing a plane that’s coming from overseas, there’s a whole team around that, and it has massive economic benefits for Hawke’s Bay.”
He said the focus of tourism in Hawke’s Bay is often on hordes of cruise passengers, but one high-value jet could be as valuable to the economy as two boatloads.
“This is just the start of our offerings and what we are capable of, and we’ll continue to improve our services.”
Earlier, at 8am, the roar of the Citation Sovereign jet’s Canadian engines erupted from the tarmac of the Skyline Aviation/NZ Air Ambulance Service terminal.
Within hours, it will have a critically ill New Zealand patient on it from the Pacific Islands. From shark attack victims and those involved in scooter crashes to heart attack patients or organ transplants, nothing is off the cards for the NZ Air Ambulance team.
But the quick turnaround, which could save lives, wouldn’t have been possible last year without being able to fly directly to the islands from Napier.
“In the past, if we’ve responded in the South Pacific, in some cases we’ve had to go via Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, which delays our response time by a minimum of an hour,” NZ Air Ambulance Service group quality and safety manager Dylan Robinson said.
Now, all it takes is a simple sign-off from a Customs staff member, who makes their way across from the local office at Napier Port.
New Zealand Air Ambulance Service fly more than 4000 patients annually and respond on a 24/7 basis. It could be from hospitals or insurance companies. Once times are locked in and teams are confirmed, leaving and returning to Napier is somewhat seamless.
“We apply for Customs approval, which comes through really quickly,” Robinson said.
Within minutes of departure, the Customs staff member, decked in customs gear, checks staff passports and asks the necessary questions just like you normally would at any international airport.
Thursday’s flight had a five-person crew to get signed off: Two pilots, a crewman, an ICU consultant and an ICU flight nurse.
“It depends on the patient requirement; some of our lower acuity patients, about 60 per cent of our jobs, will be flight nurses only and domestic. About 20 per cent will be an ICU doctor and ICU nurse, and the rest will be specialist teams like paediatric care,” Robinson said.
Clearance can be done in the departure lounge at the hangar but, in some cases, a special dedicated room with biosecurity features is used for incoming passengers. The dedicated controlled area is an important part of the carrier’s role as a Customs-controlled area.
Napier is the service’s main base in New Zealand, which is why international clearance was so important to attain.
Skyline Aviation/Jet Charters NZ also operates a private jet service out of its Napier Airport base.
“The charter high season has seen passengers flying both domestically and internationally every week. It is a fantastic facility we have here, enabling access for tourists and businesses to enjoy Hawke’s Bay and New Zealand on their own schedule,” Jet Charters NZ manager Rowan Brookfield said.
With six bases throughout New Zealand, the services are only a phone call away, with in-house 24/7 mission co-ordination.
The air ambulance jets are fully ICU compliant with 18 hours of oxygen and have options to house mechanical ventilators and monitors.
It is also adaptable, with space for two stretchers should multiple patients need extraction.
Speed is also a factor and the Citation could make its way to Sydney “in about two and a half hours”.
“The clearance cuts the time on the ground by at least an hour and a half,” Robinson said.
That one and a half hours could be the difference between a patient living or dying.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
'I can't see this lasting unless they have a budget to lock fullas up in jail.'