'No frills' flyer set to seize chance

By NAOMI LARKIN

The policy of "good value flying without frills" appears to have secured Nelson-based Origin Pacific airline more than a bit part in Qantas Airways' move into the New Zealand domestic market.

The Australians are expected to announce tomorrow that Qantas will focus on our biggest cities and use existing airlines to provide feeder services in its bid to conquer the domestic market after the collapse of Qantas NZ.

Origin Pacific, which began scheduled services in 1997 and flies about 10,000 passengers a month, is likely to become a main feeder.

The airline, which stepped into the breach and revised its scheduling to provide additional flights to help passengers stranded by Saturday's collapse, has already announced an expansion of its current nine national destinations - Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson and Christchurch - to take in Blenheim and Rotorua.

Origin Pacific was set up by Robert Inglis and his partner Nicki Smith, the faces behind the Motueka Flying School, which became the former Air Nelson.

The pair sold half their stake in Air Nelson to Air New Zealand in 1988, and the rest three years later.

Origin Pacific was established to provide competitive airfares to the regions, aimed at the leisure traveller and smaller to medium-sized businesses. It is also a wholesale freighter and offers group travel and charter services.

Mr Inglis is the biggest shareholder with 71.2 per cent. Nicki Smith holds 17.8 per cent and the remaining 11 per cent is owned by senior management.

The pair hold pilots' licences but have not flown for some years.

When the airline was founded, Mr Inglis said they did not have aspirations to be international operators.

"We're not in that high-risk area. We're very much regional operators, but having said that we see all of New Zealand as a region."

The redundancy of some Air Nelson management, after Air NZ centralised operations in Auckland, was a spur in setting up scheduled services, he said.

"A very experienced team I knew well was available and interested in doing a little more."

The airline owns three British Aerospace Jetstream planes, leases a fourth and operates two Metroliner aircraft - one leased and one operated by Air Chathams.

It employs about 100 people, including contracted staff.

The airline offers no cabin attendants or in-flight services, no air points and no fancy departure lounges.

Finance manager Ian MacLennan said yesterday that Origin Pacific's philosophy was to operate air services to regional New Zealand on a "value fare, value for money basis."

"The secret is in productivity and doing more volume at lower margins than the traditional airlines."

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