Source: Radio New Zealand
Warbirds Over Wānaka organisers said both Easter weekend days were sold out. (File photo) RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Warbirds Over Wānaka organisers are confident the withdrawal of modern military planes will not make a big dent in visitor numbers, with both Easter weekend days sold out for the biennial air show.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) would not participate in the event because of fuel costs, with the United States Air Force also withdrawing from the show, which means the F-22 Raptor fighter jets would no longer be taking part.
A Defence Force spokesperson said air force participation in displays and flypasts were always contingent on operational considerations.
“We always ensure our resources are focused on maintaining operational readiness and given the current international fuel situation, all Royal New Zealand Air Force activities have been reviewed,” they said.
“As a result, those not directly related to operational readiness have been de-prioritised and regrettably this includes air display support to Warbirds over Wānaka.”
The spokesperson said RNZAF engagement with communities and participation in aviation events was important and it was not a decision made lightly.
“We understand this will disappoint people attending the event but we appreciate the continued public support and understanding,” they said.
RNZ also approached the United States Air Force for comment.
Warbirds Over Wānaka general manager Ed Taylor said a few tears were shed when organisers received the news but they could not guarantee the appearance of any aircraft at the show and the military had withdrawn before for operational reasons.
The event had taken place every second year in Central Otago for almost 40 years.
Taylor was confident the change to the line up would not affect visitor numbers, with at least 64,000 people expected to attend the sold-out show on Saturday and Sunday and tickets still selling for Friday, despite the military pulling out.
“It’s still an action-packed weekend, we’ve got some magnificent aircraft here. I always say that Warbirds over Wānaka is far more than any one or two aircraft, it’s the sum of many parts,” he said.
Taylor said the event used around 50,000 litres of aviation fuel over five days, including practice flights.
“Most of our display aircraft are not big consumers of fuel, some of the jets can get through a bit, but they’re only doing like a 10-minute display,” he said.
The figure did not include fuel used to fly to Wānaka for the event.
Taylor said the biggest fuel consumption was people travelling to the air show.
“We have to pay to get our aircraft here, especially our civilian aircraft, we have an agreement with each of the owners and they don’t get rich out of it, they just cover their costs,” he said.
New Zealand consumes around 24 million litres of fuel per day, of which around four million litres is jet fuel.
Taylor said the trust had no issues procuring fuel for the event, just at a higher price, but it was covered by the cost of ticket sales and organisers had a contingency built into their budget.
“We’ve got a bit of leeway there in terms of funds, so we’re happy we’ll be financially OK at the end of it, we’re run by a community trust, we’re not here to make money, we’re here to give back to our community,” he said.
Accommodation in Wānaka and the surrounding towns like Cromwell, Alexandra and Omarama was booked out for the event, which was crucial to businesses in the region, Taylor said.
The airshow was tipped to inject at least $40 million into the regional economy.
Cardrona Hotel general manager Warren Barclay said rooms were fully-booked heading into Easter, with Warbirds over Wānaka a major drawcard.
“It’ll be interesting this year with a lot of the military pulling out. It is understandable and we’re not blaming anyone but we just feel a little bit kind of disappointed that this has happened at this time,” he said.
Barclay said there had not been any cancellations because of the change to the show’s line up or the fuel crisis but that could change.
“We’re just busy, we haven’t seen any drop off or anything so there’s nothing at this stage that we would do differently, fuel crisis or not, but time will tell and hopefully this thing will be over before it really kicks in and starts to really jeopardise our whole economic of recovery,” he said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
