Originair to axe Westport-Wellington flights without Government support

Wednesday, 18 March 2026

An Originair aircraft; the airline says it will end Westport-Wellington flights in May without urgent Government funding.

Originair will stop flying between Westport and Wellington from May unless it secures urgent Government funding, leaving the West Coast town at risk of losing its only direct air link.

The regional airline said it would discontinue the route from May 1 if financial support was not confirmed by late March, with a final decision deadline of March 27.

The move comes as Originair makes a last attempt to secure backing through Kānoa’s Regional Airline Support Package, but the airline said “support from these [central government] parties to date has not been positive”. An application in September 2025 was declined.

If no agreement is reached, the final flight will depart Westport on May 1. The loss of the service would leave Westport without any commercial air connections.

Buller mayor Chris Russell said the route had long been difficult to sustain commercially, despite its importance.

“Council staff and I have been advocating for external regional route support for some time…

“We acknowledge that operating the route profitably has always been challenging, and that the small market and ever-increasing operational costs have added significant pressures that Originair cannot continue to absorb without external financial support.”

Originair only began operating the service in January 2025 after stepping in when Sounds Air withdrew, a move that reduced frequency but maintained a vital connection. Reporting at the time by Stuff noted the airline planned six return services a week using 18-seat aircraft, down from the previous operator’s higher schedule.

The route has faced persistent economic headwinds. Russell said rising costs — including fuel — had pushed it to breaking point.

“The unrest in the Middle East and the soaring Jet A1 fuel price have been the final straws contributing to the route becoming unsustainable,” Russell said.

“The decision to withdraw is deeply disappointing for council and the community, and we are acutely conscious of the impact this will have on our hard-working airport staff and their families.”

Russell said attention would now turn to managing the fallout.

“Our focus will now switch to working with impacted staff at Westport Airport. We will assess next steps and options for the airport’s future over the coming months, once we are through the immediate operational wrap-up phase.”