Editorial: Air NZ should have kept quiet about Pero flight

Air New Zealand has behaved oddly this week over an attempt by businessman Mike Pero to offer an anniversary charter flight over the site of the Erebus crash. It almost appears that Air NZ, having recently changed its attitude and issued a public apology, now believes it owns the tragedy.

There is nothing wrong with relatives of the dead wishing to visit the site after an interval of 30 years and nothing wrong with somebody who wants to charter an aircraft for them to do so, so long as civil aviation authorities are satisfied it can be done safely.

Air NZ is taking a limited number of family members on a memorial visit to the mountain to mark the anniversary today. When Mr Pero saw that there was room for only six relatives on that trip he planned his own for tomorrow, charging $1400 to $8600 depending on the seat.

Air NZ called this "commercial opportunism of the lowest kind and deeply disrespectful". It said it had been "exploring options" to take more families to the scene and was discussing them with the Government and Antarctica New Zealand. The Prime Minister indicated yesterday that the Government might help relatives visit Antarctica, "probably in something that is a little bit better than just a fly-over".

This is getting ridiculous. Air NZ has only recently come to terms with its part in the tragedy but families of the deceased have observed 30 anniversaries. People come to terms with death however it occurs.

If there is a wish among relatives and descendants of the Erebus victims to follow the path of the fatal flight and, weather permitting, fly over the crash site, a commercial operation can provide the service.

If it cuts across Air NZ's public gestures of regret this year, too bad. The airline would have been better to say nothing.