Air link will need support of Wanganui

One of Sounds Air's Cessna Caravans arrives at Wanganui Airport yesterday.

Sounds Air - sounds good. The aviation company announced on Tuesday it is considering coming here.

The Marlborough-based operation is looking to extend its business and flights between Wanganui and Wellington are a natural fit with its operations.

It has spare capacity with a fourth Cessna Caravan recently added to its fleet.

And the demise of Air New Zealand's flights between here and the capital in December leaves a gaping hole in the departure/arrivals schedule out of Wanganui Airport.

Sounds Air has been in existence for 25 years and has an excellent reputation.

Any company that has made 100,000 crossings of Cook Strait since its inception in 1986 has to be reliable.

A decision has yet to be made - and fingers crossed it will happen.

But perhaps we can do a bit more than wish it to happen.

At the announcement at the airport all the potential frequent flyers were rounded up to make the company's decision as easy as possible. But anyone else who thinks they would use the service regularly could make their support known.

Like most things it will come down to cost and that will be about $125 one way. That sounds pretty good. Mayor Annette Main said when Air New Zealand axed its Wanganui service that it was well known there had been low patronage on the flights due a number of factors, including cost, a less than convenient schedule and improved driving times to Wellington.

Two of those things can be improved by another operator.

And one thing Sounds Air did make clear on Tuesday - it will operate a service that runs with two passengers per flight or a planeload in its 13-seater aircraft.

That kind of integrity will make users here feel much better about backing such an operation.