Jetstar officials to visit Rotorua

Officials from Jetstar will be in Rotorua tomorrow to talk to community leaders and business and tourism stakeholders about the airline's New Zealand domestic network expansion plans.

The visiting delegation will be led by Grant Kerr and includes the company's New Zealand communications manager Phil Boeyen and sales manager Mick Cotterall.

The airline recently announced plans to expand services into regional New Zealand cities, identifying five North Island and two South Island destinations currently under consideration.

Those cities are Rotorua, Hamilton, Napier, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Nelson and Invercargill.

The airline says by September it will have selected four of the seven cities and expects to have its first new regional services operating by Christmas.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick has welcomed news that Jetstar has Rotorua in its sights, especially the potential for more choice and cheaper airfares for Rotorua residents and visitors. She said the council would be collaborating with the local business sector to ensure Rotorua presented a unified and compelling case for Rotorua to be included in Jetstar's plans.

Rotorua Airport acting chief executive Wayne Wootton, Destination Rotorua chief executive Mark Rawson and Grow Rotorua chief executive Francis Pauwels have all welcomed Jetstar's announcement saying they were looking forward to meeting with the airline's representatives during their visit and discussing Jetstar's future plans.