Air Chathams boss calls on Whanganui council to invest in Christchurch route instead of parallel taxiway

The parallel taxiway was originally part of a broader resealing project, but rising costs meant only the runway was completed. Photo / Bevan Conley

A proposed $6.7 million parallel taxiway at Whanganui Airport has been questioned by the only commercial airline flying into the city.

Air Chathams is pushing for investment in a new Whanganui-to-Christchurch route instead.

Chief operating officer Duane Emeny said the airline did not experience major delays or safety concerns due to the current configuration in Whanganui and its fleet would not be able to use the proposed taxiway.

The project is in Whanganui District Council’s draft Long-Term Plan (LTP) but is contingent on central government - the joint partner in the airport - coming up with half the funding.

Taxiways are the pathways aircraft use to navigate between hangars, terminals, runways and other facilities.

Speaking to councillors during public hearings on the LTP, Emeny said he wanted to draw their attention to “Palmerston North airport’s effective operation”, which did not have a full-length, parallel taxiway despite a higher flight frequency and large training academy.

“Initially supporting the project due to its inclusion in a broader resealing project, Air Chathams now views the parallel taxiway as an unnecessary luxury that the community can ill afford - at a time when other public services are being cut to avoid a higher proposed rates increase,” he said.

The taxiway project was originally included in the resealing of the airport’s runway, but due to rising costs, only the runway was completed.

That was finished last year.

A report from airport manager Phil McBride said the airport’s current configuration of grass and sealed taxiways was no longer suitable for the increased level of aircraft activity at the airport.

“This creates inefficient operations, due to aircraft needing to backtrack on the active runway, and increases the likelihood of a catastrophic aircraft incident occurring,” it said.

In a letter to council property and open spaces general manager Sarah O’Hagan earlier this month, Emeny said Air Chathams understood its fleet would not be able to utilise the parallel taxiway due to its size and weight.

The letter said there had been no internal safety reports or occurrences that would have been mitigated or prevented if a parallel taxiway was in place.

Instead of the taxiway, Emeny told elected members the council should investigate investing in establishing a new Air Chathams route to Christchurch.

Air Chathams chief operating officer Duane Emeny. Photo / Bevan Conley

There was community demand and it would result in significant long-term commercial and social benefits, he said.

“That investment would be structured as a loan, rather than a capex spend without recovery.

“If we were to establish feasible routes to both Auckland, which we have currently, and Christchurch, which would be a new route, there would be a strong business case to consider moving our Auckland operations and aircraft maintenance to Whanganui.”

Emeny said that would reduce Air Chathams’ overhead costs and foster collaboration with the council.

Councillor Charlotte Melser asked if a Christchurch route depended on a council loan.

Emeny said while he appreciated marketing support and aeronautical fee relief from the council, that would not be enough to “take that plunge” and establish the new route.

The route had a lot of potential and customer feedback indicated strong support, he said.

“International airlines are now choosing to fly direct to Christchurch, as opposed to Auckland.

“There are a lot of flights out of Asia, Australia and even North America.”

Councillor Ross Fallen asked if Whanganui was the most attractive option for a possible Air Chathams relocation.

Emeny said it was because there was land available and Whanganui had a genuine desire to see its airport grow.

Commercial leases at its current base in Auckland had gone through the roof since it moved there in 2013, as had aeronautical fees, he said.

In Whanganui, Air Chathams will pay $216.79 per arrival from July 1, up from $111.90.

“Some of those [Auckland] commercial leases, which is a significant portion of what we pay each year, could be improved on if we were to work with your council and look at what we could do in Whanganui,” Emeny said.

Public hearings on the LTP began on Tuesday and ran for three days, with more than 120 people speaking directly to elected members in the council chambers.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.