Long runway more vital than ownership of HB Airport

Kathy Webb
Corporatising Hawke's Bay's airport will be a waste of time unless it is done to allow a longer runway to be built, says campaigner Simon Nixon.
Labour list MP Russell Fairbrother, of Napier, said today the Government was ready to give Hawke's Bay majority ownership of the airport business, to allow it to be put on a proper commercial footing, but the region's mayors and iwi had yet to agree on a suitable arrangement.
Mr Nixon said ownership of the airport was only a side issue.
"The ownership and corporate structure are simply a means to extending the runway to make the airport jet-capable.
"Unless this happens there is no real reason to change either the ownership or the structure."
The Government, which owns 50 percent of the airport business, had stalled on agreement for a longer runway, which was badly needed "to remove the absolute monopoly Air New Zealand now has on Hawke's Bay air services," Mr Nixon said.
"Our visitor industry needs the quality and capacity only jets offer. The new Bombadier Q300 may be an improvement on the Saab aircraft they are replacing, but they fail to provide the comfort and other advantages of pure jets.
"Napier mayor Barbara Arnott had stated recently that only 10 percent of visitors to Hawke's Bay arrived by air.
"Could it be that those who want to fly are put off by the slow, cramped and generally unattractive aircraft?
"Anyone who claims otherwise is unrealistic.
"While we are madly building and expanding sports and entertainment facilities at a cost of tens of millions of dollars, our ability to get participants, supporters and spectators and others here is severely throttled by the inadequacy of our airport.
"A competitive air service is vital. If we are to have any leverage on Air New Zealand it must be possible for another airline to fly here.
"Qantas is the only domestic airline capable of competing head-on against Air New Zealand, but for now, their all-jet fleet is denied access because the runway is too short.
"They might never come, but with a longer runway Air New Zealand will forever be looking over their shoulder, fearful of the big red kangaroo suddenly turning up."
Mr Fairbrother said majority ownership of the airport by Hawke's Bay would allow it to be corporatised and a longer runway built. The Government was ready to move, but progress could be helped by more co-operation.
"People in Hawke's Bay don't tend to work co-operatively.
This is a pan-Hawke's Bay issue, and local interests take a while to reconcile their positions.
"The mayors could be more pro-active in bringing everyone together," he said.