Latest news with #Emeny
NZ Herald
25-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Airline, council to investigate HQ shift
It was expected to be finished in two to three months, he said. 'I'm going up to Air Chathams' Auckland offices soon,' he said. 'We'll have discussions with [Air Chathams chief operating officer Duane Emeny] and his team and have a good look around their existing facility, to get an idea of what they would need at Whanganui Airport.' Emeny said a potential move was exciting, but 'the straight up truth' was the airline did not have the appetite to make a big investment in it. Duane Emeny says there could be an opportunity through the Government's Regional Investment Fund to construct a purpose-built facility in Whanganui. Earlier this year, he told the Chronicle that rises in aeronautical fees and increased costs for equipment were the latest issues the airline was addressing, with the overhaul of a Saab engine now costing US$1 million ($1.725m) and taking 18 to 24 months. Previously, the same job cost US$600,000 ($1.050m) with a six-month wait. There had been a large centralisation in domestic air travel - a 'larger planes, lower frequency model', he said. 'Things are exceptionally tight in the regional aviation space,' he said. 'The Government is spending millions on rail and billions on roads, and poor old aviation doesn't get a look in.' In April, Air Chathams said it was considering withdrawing its Whakatāne to Auckland route after losing more than $1m on it since April 2023. Whakatāne District Council agreed earlier this month to waive airport fees for the airline for the next six months. Langford, also the chief executive of Whanganui Airport, said the business case would look at costs and how much the council may need to contribute. 'Ultimately, this will be a commercial arrangement,' he said. 'The council's involved in this project because, in the long term, it will provide a return on any investment we put into the airport. 'Hypothetically, if we end up building a facility, that won't be funded from the ratepayer. It would be funded by the leasing revenue Air Chathams pay us.' Emeny said the business case was about 'finding the right mix of things' to make the relocation work. Whanganui District Council and Whanganui Airport chief executive David Langford. Photo / NZME There could be an opportunity through the Government's Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) to construct a purpose-built facility at the airport precinct, he said. 'The council could then provide some pretty generous terms around how much we pay for the first few years. 'Auckland is horrifically expensive, and we could probably build a hangar that's a whole lot better than what we've got. 'You'd be charged a fraction of the price in annual leases to be there.' The council has applied for $3.6m from the RIF to complete a parallel taxiway at the airport. Stage one of that project is already under way. Langford said the council's always looked for external funding sources for projects, rather than 'just defaulting to debt funding'. Emeny said Air Chathams had about 140 permanent staff, with 50 to 60 based in Auckland. 'It would be a big shift for our Auckland team and not everyone will be up for that. 'As a business, we need to be really careful with those decisions, because it's a very specialist industry we're in and you need highly qualified people. 'They are hard to find.' Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
Scoop
29-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Survey Shows Importance Of Airline
A survey of businesspeople asking whether they think Whakatāne District Council should support Air Chathams to continue its Whakatāne to Auckland route received 69 responses in its first week. Almost all respondents considered it important to retain air services in Whakatāne and more than 60 percent were comfortable with the council providing support to the airline. Air Chathams chief commercial officer Duane Emeny announced last month that the airline would be discontinuing its air services in and out of Whakatāne over the next six to 12 months if it did not receive support from the council or other sources. He said the airline had incurred over $1 million in losses from operating the Whakatāne to Auckland route over the past two years. It had operated successfully out of Whakatāne for the previous eight years because it had a dedicated aircraft that could operate early morning and late afternoon flights, key times for business travel. Since it became necessary to retire the ageing 18-seat Metroliners in 2023, the airline has not had a dedicated aircraft for Whakatāne. To make the route work financially, it needs support to purchase another aircraft. It sought help from the council to source a low-interest loan from the Local Government Funding Agency as well as a marketing campaign and for the council to write off a loan of $350,000 it was given to restart flights in the wake of Covid-19 shutdowns. The Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce sent the survey out to its 230 members via email and also made it available on its Facebook page, which has around 1600 followers, and LinkedIn which has 255 followers. While both social media pages are open to the public, the survey was intended to capture local business owners or professionals. The survey was made available on April 14 and results shared with Air Chathams a week later showed 65 percent of respondents felt comfortable with the council using ratepayer money to support the airline. Those who felt the air services in and out of Whakatāne were important to maintain made up 98 percent and 67 percent used the airline currently. Seventy percent said they would sign a petition to put to council to support retaining Air Chathams was 70 percent. Mr Emeny said comments provided with the survey were quite focused on the schedule not being business friendly. 'If we were to continue and be properly supported by council (or others) then this would be first on our list to amend with a dedicated Saab 340 aircraft,' he said.
