Airline pioneer has doubts over Eagle Air

A pioneer of one of Wairarapa's longest-lasting passenger airlines is far from convinced the latest proposal for an air service linking Masterton with Auckland will succeed.
Chartered accountant and company director Alan Stewart, former secretary-manager of Wairarapa Airlines, said yesterday an Eagle Air venture expected to start later this year is likely to face a constant battle to survive.
As one of Wairarapa's most frequent flyers, clocking up well over 100 flights a year, Mr Stewart said he flies to Auckland every week but was unlikely to use the Eagle Air service from Hood.
"It would depend on timetable and price and it's unlikely either of those factors would suit my requirements.
"I can buy cheap fares out of Wellington and ensure I am in the office in Auckland by 8am to do a full day's work and catch a late-evening flight back.
"Sure I have to take the cost of travelling over the hill to Wellington and car parking into account but I can't see a Masterton air service being able to compete on a regularity of flights to suit me."
Mr Stewart said it seems the Eagle Air service would be more suitable for families and other pleasure travellers rather than businessmen.
Wairarapa Airlines had needed to average 4? passengers a flight to break even on flights to and from Auckland.
"In fact our average was 2?.
"The airline was subsidised by its owners all the way through, we never made a profit.
"Sometimes we would get a full booking of eight passengers leaving Masterton and fly home that afternoon empty."
The irony, he said, was that the only way to cut losses was to fly less often which was a recipe for eventual collapse.
During its lifetime, Wairarapa Airlines had three separate owners and each had to prop the airline up by injecting personal finance into it.
"Especially in the last few years when our benevolent owner had a monthly automatic payment from his bank account into the airline account just to keep it going."
Mr Stewart said although he wished the new venture well he couldn't see it working out.
"Likewise I wouldn't like to think a lot of public money was wasted by trying to get it set up and running."
Mr Stewart said Wairarapa people with a flying history who had some misgivings about the area's user-friendliness for flying have a point.
Despite wide experience of flying he had some "uncomfortable" moments flying back to Wairarapa with turbulence, usually around the Mt Bruce area.
Jim Bicknell, a Papawai farmer and president of Gliding Wairarapa, said wind patterns and air currents make Wairarapa an "interesting" place to fly.
He also wishes the new venture well but said westerly winds, especially at equinox made flying very challenging.
The Eagle Air aircraft, while bigger than pleasure aircraft and that previously flown by the likes of Wairarapa Airlines, made no difference.
"The big ones dance round as just as well as the smaller ones."
Mr Bicknell said there would be Wairarapa people likely to be put off from using the small airline because of this.
Whereas a few daredevils relished bouncing about in the sky, a lot of people would be put off from flying again.
From a purely financial point of view, Mr Bicknell said he doubted the need for the new air service.
People living from Greytown south would gain little over making the trip to Wellington airport and those from Eketahuna north could likewise get to Palmerston North just as easily.
"So we are really talking about a base user population of 20,000 people and of those, how many would be regular air travellers?"
Mr Bicknell said it might help the viability of the new venture if some commercial contracts, like the cartage of mail or magazines, could be arranged.