Source: Radio New Zealand
Air NZ will start to consolidate more routes after the school holidays. AFP/ William West
The Aviation Industry Association says Air New Zealand is far from the only airline eyeing flight cuts, due to soaring fuel costs.
The airline says it has cut 5 percent of its flights and will start to consolidate more routes after the school holidays.
Aviation Industry Association chief executive Simon Wallace said the cost of jet fuel had doubled since March.
“Jet fuel has been [increasing] at a far greater rate than petrol has,” he said.
Wallace suspected the cuts would particularly impact regional routes.
“I think we will see some further reductions on some of Air New Zealand’s domestic services and, in a country like New Zealand, that is felt particularly in regional areas,” he said.
“Air New Zealand have signalled today they’re looking at some long haul routes. They haven’t announced exactly where those will be, but I think we can expect to see some, if not cutting routes completely, then a reduction in the frequency on those routes.”
He said Air New Zealand was not the only airline tightening its belt.
“The regional airlines like Air Chathams and others have also had to reduce some of their services, because it gets to a point where the customer can’t afford to pay these increased airfares.
“We’ve seen airlines globally do it in Europe, in particular, and even across the Tasman, with Qantas and Jetstar rationalising some of their routes.”
Even beyond airlines, the cost of jet fuel was causing issues.
“We are seeing the impact of jet fuel play out across the whole aviation system in New Zealand, so it’s not just Air New Zealand and the regional airlines.
“It’s tourism flight operators, it’s agricultural aviators, it’s helicopter contractors, everyone across the whole system is feeling this.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand