Qantas collapse puts pressure on Rotorua Airport revamp

Rotorua must move quickly to upgrade the airport to stem the collapse in visitor numbers to the city, says Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick.

The limited seats available on flights to Rotorua and New Zealand's other premier tourist destination, Queenstown, could not be tolerated, she said.

"This really puts the pressure on Rotorua to move quickly to be able to accommodate 737s. The only way to do that is to upgrade the airport."

Since the Qantas New Zealand collapse Rotorua has lost at least 500 visitors because there are too few airlines seats to handle package tours to the city and places like Queenstown, according to tourism operators.

Meanwhile, the lack of flights has also affected the Asian tourism market with average lengths of stay dropping to one because tourists have to travel to and from the city by bus.

Seats available daily at Rotorua Airport have reportedly dropped from 288 to 198 and tourism operators have expressed concern for the industry's future unless the situation can be quickly rectified.

Ms Chadwick said talk of upgrading Rotorua's airport had been going on for at least two years.

She said she was urging Transport Minister Mark Gosche to push for bigger planes to be reinstated on the Rotorua-Queenstown flight route.

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)