Air New Zealand's 67-flight-a-week commitment to Hawke's Bay

A huge 67 weekly flights are coming into Hawke's Bay, which only a month ago had a mere three flights a week. Photo / Warren Buckland

OPINION:

The common idiom at the start of alert level 4 was that Kiwis everywhere were now truly flightless.

Our national carrier was, with the exception of a handful of essential service flights, grounded, and it didn't feel like anything was going to change anytime soon.

It was a peculiar time for New Zealanders. It still is. For people who are renowned worldwide for their desire to travel, not being able to do so remains unsettling, constraining even.

What's more, there are an estimated 1.5 million New Zealanders who live abroad.

Some of these people will have come home ahead of lockdown, but the majority are still scattered across the globe. Families, therefore, are still located around the world.

And while it is going to take time before we are travelling freely across the globe again, I was elated to read that as of next month Air New Zealand will once again be increasing direct air services to Hawke's Bay.

From July 1, they will operate 36 weekly return flights to Hawke's Bay from Auckland, 16 weekly return flights from Wellington and 15 weekly return flights from Christchurch.

That's a huge 67 weekly flights into our region's airport, which only a month ago had a mere three flights a week.

It's a potential 4556 people – when we move to alert level 1 – flying in and out of Hawke's Bay. Even more flights are expected to operate during the July school holidays.

Air New Zealand says it has been encouraged by the demand from leisure travellers and are expecting demand for business travel to continue to build.

Personally, I am immensely encouraged by Air New Zealand's distinct commitment to servicing Hawke's Bay.

During alert level 3, Hawke's Bay Airport was one of just seven ports recognised by Air New Zealand as a vital link for essential services. As the alert levels decreased, the number of flights into our region has grown.

Increased flights numbers have got to be good for business. Our economy needs good connectivity – whether it be for freight and goods to market, face-to-face meetings or professional development such as conferences.

Travel for pleasure, leisure and visiting friends and family all assist in growing the demand for greater capacity and frequency, all of which, makes air services more viable.

This connectivity provided by Air New Zealand is critical for tourism. The additional flights clearly bring more visitors to our districts, while the reopening of the Hawke's Bay-Christchurch service directly connects us with a South Island market for the first time since March.

Queen's Birthday weekend illustrated that there is much pent up demand for travel among New Zealanders, and with the borders remaining closed for now, this newly reopened route is another opportunity for the region.

However, for now, I simply want to say thank you to Air New Zealand for helping our region's Kiwis to fly.

- Hamish Saxton is the CEO of Hawke's Bay Tourism