Christchurch Crying Foul Over Scrapping of Air New Zealand’s Japan Flights From The City: Airline Cites High Cost As Reason

Christchurch is feeling slighted and hurt over Air New Zealand’s decision to scrap the summer flights from the city to Japan. The decision also implied that the airline will no longer fly any long-haul services from Christchurch. The airport and local authorities in Christchurch are crying foul, and they say the flights are crucial in sustaining its tourism revenue and local economy.

Christchurch elite point to the flights’ linkage with the local economy, where many exporters and traders have been using those flights to send fresh produce into the lucrative Japanese market. Christchurch Airport CEO Malcolm Johns said it was disappointing to see profitable air services quitting the South Island despite the place being the primary magnet of Japanese visitors.

In fact, the decision has made many people in the southern city to call the national carrier "Air Auckland", for what they call perceived discrimination against Christchurch. But the airline has defended the decision, saying it wants to concentrate more on its existing Tokyo service from Auckland.

Canterbury Hit

The NZ Herald reports that the Canterbury Mayoral Forum of 10 mayors from the region, has urged the airline to retain the flights so as to protect millions of dollars is flowing into the local Canterbury business. Forum chair, Dame Margaret Bazley, said the airline's decision was disappointing and was taken without any regard for the region's special needs. She said, specialist seafood and seasonal flowers have been exporting direct out of Christchurch for years. Now that will be hit and millions of export dollars will be lost. This will be in addition to the loss in tourist dollars and regional employment.

Lianne Dalziel, Christchurch Mayor said: “People who fly direct to Christchurch tend to stay longer and spend more money than those who arrive elsewhere. The overseas tourists travel and spend widely throughout Canterbury - not just in the main centres - which provides significant regional economic benefits to areas such as the Mackenzie District, Kaikoura, and Oamaru.”

Air NZ Clarification

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand stated that, “while we accept this decision is disappointing for Christchurch tourism stakeholders, the impact on the total number of seats the airline will operate into Christchurch is minimal,” according to the airline's spokesperson. However, the airline promised to work with Christchurch stakeholders to ensure seamless connectivity to support the regional economic development. But it noted that the research it had with consumers and trade in Japan did not indicate any special preference to Christchurch.

The airline also highlighted the higher operating cost involved in flying to Christchurch with 787 aircraft, when compared to Auckland. This is because of the extra distance and cost in positioning the aircraft in Auckland for operating scheduled services. Since the 787 cannot operate to the Auckland domestic terminal, it means the positioning flight cannot be used as a scheduled domestic service.

New Facility

The airline said it will be making alternative arrangements to address the concerns. It that the frequency of Tokyo’s Narita to Auckland service will be increased to 10 in a week, during the northern winter. It will be made sure that all Tokyo flights arrive at Auckland in the morning and connections are provided to South Island destinations. Similarly, departing flights to Tokyo will also be timed suitably to enable same-day connections from Christchurch.

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