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The man behind a postponed Waikato airshow has broken his silence to reassure ticket holders their money is safe.
Ken Ross told the Herald on Sunday ticket sales and bookings worth about $1.1 million is being held in a trust fund and will be honoured when the show is rescheduled.
He said there was no question of funds being misused, despite reports he had disappeared.
Sponsors reported problems tracking down the promoter after his website announced the postponement of the Wings and Wheels Over Waikato show, scheduled for next weekend.
Sponsors and ticket holders voiced concerns and disappointment over the postponement and the uncertainty over what was happening to their money. But Ross denied he had gone to ground.
He told the Herald on Sunday he travelled from Hamilton to Auckland on Wednesday to arrange a newsletter drop to the 20,000 ticket holders and then spent 48 hours "flat on my back" with a virus. Ross said he was "bitterly disappointed" by the postponement of the show, which was to have featured the Warbirds and "perhaps the very best USA jet aerobatic team".
He blamed wrangles with management at Hamilton Airport, which had disrupted planning, leaving him no time to get resource consents.
He said the airport had requested changes to the original plan for the show, moving it from one side of the runway to the other and cutting space for the expected 50,000 spectators.
"There was danger and mismanagement written all over it," said Ross.
"If there had been an incident, an unacceptable number of people would have been at risk. It would have made Erebus look like a picnic.
"The law that matters most is the law of common sense. It came down to public safety and I'm not prepared to compromise on that."
Ross said he had put $100,000 of his own money into the event and had been working "365 days a year" to make it a success.
He had attracted about $500,000 in sponsorship and said he felt his integrity had been brought into question.
"There is absolutely no misappropriation at all. I don't believe in it. I ran a squeaky clean operation."
In a statement, Hamilton Airport said its only obligation was to provide the venue and Ross was responsible for the show's success or failure. It was ready and willing to progress the resource consent but had not received an amended application from Ross.
Hamilton Airport chief executive Chris Doak denied they had caused the delay by trying to shift the event to a different part of the airport.
"Ken Ross had a choice which side to use," Doak said. "It was an option clearly given to him."
Ross said he was determined to put on another show somewhere, and asked ticket holders and sponsors for their continued support.
He said an announcement would be made within a month.
