Four airlines vying for route

Sunair Aviation owners Dan and Bev Power with one of their fleet of Piper Aztecs.

Four airlines are now vying to replace Air New Zealand on the Kaitaia-Auckland after the national carrier's shock announcement it plans to pull out of the Far North town.

First out of the blocks was Tauranga's Sunair Aviation, whose owners Dan and Bev Power were in Kaitaia on Friday to meet airport operators Far North Holdings, the Kaitaia Business Association, and the Chinese owners of a massive tourism venture on the nearby Karikari Peninsula.

Auckland-based company Inflite was also in town on Friday, making use of a charter flight to Kaitaia to show off its plane and give a few lucky locals a free flight to Auckland. The identity of the other companies is still under wraps.

Whichever company succeeds, Kaitaia residents are likely to end up with a better timetable.

One of the chief gripes about the twice-daily Air NZ service is that the morning flight leaves too late. As a result, many business travellers drive the extra hour to Kerikeri to get an early flight and a full business day in Auckland.

Mr Power, however, said if Sunair ends up flying the Kaitaia route, it would base a plane and two crews in Kaitaia. That would mean the first flight could leave for Auckland at 7am and return about 9.30am that morning. A second return flight could leave about 4-5pm.

The company would use its nine-seater Piper Chieftain or, as long as the business plan stacked up, buy a 12-seater Cessna Caravan. The landing fees charged at Kaitaia would be a crucial factor in deciding whether the plan had wings.

Operating a regional airline in New Zealand was challenging because of the high fees that had to be paid to airports and Airways Corporation, which operates the country's air traffic control system.

It was too early to say what flights would cost, but a one-way ticket was likely to be similar to the current Air NZ fare.

Reaction to the firm's proposal had been very positive, Mr Power said.

"Being somewhat remote, the local community requires an air service. There's some nervousness about the possibility of not having one - we're here to allay those fears."

While in Kaitaia, the Powers met airport staff and Far North Holdings chief executive Andy Nock, Kaitaia Business Association members, and the owners of Carrington Estate where a huge hotel development is planned. Later in the day they met Auckland Airport's operators.

Meanwhile, rival Air NZ replacement Inflite was also in Kaitaia with a tourism charter flight on Friday. Its Jetstream 32 had been due to return empty to Auckland, so the firm offered the seats free to members of Kaitaia's business community and, via a GP, locals who needed to get to Auckland but could not afford to fly. The remaining seats were offered to anyone who wanted them.

Inflite is the only third-level airline already operating planes of the same size as the Beechcraft 1900D Air NZ used on the Kaitaia run.

Charter manager Paul Aston said the company needed to work out whether the level of demand warranted daily flights or three a week.

"On face value it stacks up. If it does, we'll be in, boots and all. The fit for us in Kaitaia is very strong."

Inflite was likely to have only one or two fare levels, unlike the complex multi-level system used by Air NZ.