Airways to withdraw services from Invercargill Airport
Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Airways New Zealand's decision to close the Air Traffic Control Tower at Invercargill Airport is disappointing, general manager Nigel Finnerty says.
“It is too soon to say what the impacts of this decision on our airport may be, and we need some time to assess this, while also attempting to find solutions,' he said.
Airways chief executive Graeme Sumner announced Tuesday that the air navigation service provider would withdraw its services from regional airports in Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Rotorua and Invercargill.
The decision comes less than two months after the company invited feedback to its proposal to do so.
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Airways would also stop its airfield flight information services at Kapiti Coast Airport and Milford Sound Piopiotahi Aerodrome.
Finnerty said Invercargill Airport did not support the decision to remove air traffic controllers from its operations before it had a solution in place to safely and effectively manage aviation operations in the airspace.
“Operating an airport is complex business that relies on many organisations doing the right things,' Finnerty said.
“We have about 22,000 aircraft movements a year, so having the right processes in place is critical,' he said.
Finnerty was hoping to move to a digital air traffic control tower and called on Airways to continue its commitment to the project.
The shift to a new system was likely to take about six months, he said.
Sumner said the dramatic collapse in flight numbers prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic had hastened the need to make changes to how air navigation services were delivered to ensure their long-term viability.
The disruption caused by the pandemic was unprecedented, he said.
Airways needed to address the immediate challenges of the pandemic-induced crisis, and help put the industry on a more sustainable footing, Sumner said.