Originair route between Hamilton and Palmerston North signals new era

The first Originair flight landed in Hamilton on Monday morning. Photo / Tom Rowland

Hamilton Airport is being touted as the hub for a transtasman and Pacific air travel bubble as Originair this week launched its first regional flight from Palmerston North to Hamilton with more flights on the radar.

Hamilton City Councillor Ewan Wilson, who has long pushed for Hamilton Airport to expand its travel options, said this was the start of a new era for the airport.

"I would hope to see some fine tuning on the schedule between Hamilton and Palmerston North to be slightly more corporate friendly and I would love to see when people can fly direct to Hamilton and I think that can build into either regular transtasman, Pacific flights or whether it is a series of charter flights," Wilson said.

He said with returning New Zealanders coming back to Auckland from Covid-19 hotspots, Hamilton airport could be the central airport for travel around the transtasman and Pacific bubble when it begins.

"Putting aside the Covid-19 umbrella, I think there will be a time when this makes sense and even during Covid-19, Hamilton is in a unique position to be part of a travel bubble as it is away from the main point of return for returning residents in Auckland that could be coming from Covid-19 hotspots."

"The airport is capable of operating transtasman and Pacific Island flights with no additional capital expenditure other than managing the additional expenses of border control."

Wilson credited Robert Inglis, who founded Originair in 2015, as a pioneer of New Zealand aviation.

"This is the start of something truly special, I feel very connected to this airport and I'm very proud of what it has done and what it is capable of doing, to welcome Originair today is just incredible.

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate and councillor Ewan Wilson. Photo / Ewan Wilson

"Robert Inglis is an aviation pioneer in New Zealand, he survives in an industry that is challenged so to have this connection is just wonderful."

Running 10 minutes ahead of schedule, the 19-seater Jetstream 32 aircraft landed with a ceremonial welcome including the airport fire trucks providing an arch with water cannons, while Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate welcomed the travellers, including Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith and his wife at the gate.

The flight was the first of Originair's new Palmerston North to Hamilton route after Air New Zealand pulled out of the route after the first Covid-19 lockdown, the service is targeted at business travellers and also allows for them to carry on from Palmerston North to Nelson.

Hamilton and Waikato Tourism chief executive Jason Dawson said getting the connection back to Palmerston North was important for the city.

"We're two university cities and hubs for our agricultural sector as well so it is definitely going to help from a leisure travel perspective where it just gives more options to travel in the regions," Dawson said.

"It is big for our corporate event market as well as conferences and conventions as they are plenty of those both here in Hamilton and in Palmerston North so it just helps by providing another connection."

Dawson said it is now important to get better regional connectivity into Hamilton.

"I would love to see a direct route from Hamilton to the South Island, and with OriginAir based in Nelson it would make sense for a direct travel route to there."