Originair has sounded a note of caution following the Government’s announcement of its support package for Air New Zealand.

“We are grateful that the Government sees the need to support the aviation sector, which is critical to the function of New Zealand,” says Originair CEO Robert Inglis.

“What we would like to see now is for Air New Zealand to recognise that airlines such as Originair also have a crucial role to play in providing direct services between domestic locations and that our continued activity is complementary to that of Air New Zealand.”

Inglis said that in the wake of previous significant financial support for the national carrier it chose to price its fares in such a way that it effectively forced smaller operators out of business.

“Now is the time for everyone in the aviation sector to work together. We want to keep Originair services operating for the benefit of all New Zealanders and have every intention of doing so.

“We are maintaining our current schedule and can be flexible to meet demand. We already provide a charter service and we anticipate that more people may be considering chartering our aircraft in the coming weeks. We’re ready to meet those requirements.

“If we have an even playing field on which to operate, Originair can provide a useful and important option for domestic travellers and an essential service for a range of businesses and organisations, including helping to ensure personnel from government departments are able to be where they need to be to achieve their organisational goals.”

Nelson Tasman-based airline Originair has added a Nelson-Wellington route to its offering in response to passenger demand.

Flights on the Nelson-Wellington route will begin on 14 February 2020, with bookings now available via Originair’s website and by calling the airline on 0800 380 380.

“Our customers have been asking us to consider a Nelson-Wellington route and we’re really pleased to be able to respond to that interest,” says Originair’s CEO Robert Inglis.

Originair’s new Wellington service will initially be limited to 10 sectors per week, concentrating on peak demand times, says.

“We’re not offering an extensive schedule at the outset but we hope that it will provide extra capacity at times that are most useful to travellers on that route,” says Inglis.

The announcement of the Nelson-Wellington route comes after very consistent and encouraging demand for seats on the airline’s newly-resumed Nelson-Palmerston North service.

“We are very happy with the way that the reintroduction of our Palmerston North service has been going,” says Inglis. “Demand has been solid and that gives us additional confidence to grow our service offering.”

Originair has announced special $89 one-way summer fares* on its Nelson-Palmerston North route available between 1 December 2019 and 31 March 2020.

“We are delighted to offer these special fares to customers who may be planning a business trip or to visit friends and family between now and the end of March,” says Originair’s CEO Robert Inglis.

“This year has been a challenging one for us, but having received our own Air Operator’s Certificate this month we are ready to plan for a successful and busy 2020. We look forward to announcing new initiatives in the New Year and thank our loyal customers for their support.”

*Please note that there will be limited number of special fares per flight and the special fares will not be available on all flights. General terms & conditions apply. For more information go to the Originair fare classes page.