New Zealand flying blind on aviation
The New Zealand Airports Association (NZ Airports) says air travellers to the regions and regional communities will soon feel the loss following Jetstar’s announcement that it will leave four regional routes, but there are valuable lessons for the future.
“There will always
be volatility in airline routes, competition and activity
levels, said NZ Airports chief executive Kevin Ward, so we
need to learn from major setbacks for air travellers such as
this one, and build a more resilient and transparent
aviation system.
“New Zealand is flying blind when
it comes to good data and reporting on aviation, says Mr
Ward.
“The public and the government are very
poorly informed. There is no official collection or
publication of what is happening in terms of passenger
numbers and flights to specific towns and cities, domestic
air cargo volumes, which city-to-city routes are growing or
shrinking over time, the standards of on-time performance
and cancellations, or what is happening to average air
fares.”
“New Zealand is way behind in this public
transparency compared to other countries. Our neighbours in
Australia have a well-developed system and regular
publications that could be a model for us, said Mr Ward.
“Major improvements should be empowered through the
Government’s current review of aviation law.”
“Better information would certainly have helped competition regulators when the code-share agreement between Air New Zealand and the Qantas Group was proposed a year ago, potentially affecting Jetstar’s future operations in New Zealand.”
“It’s difficult enough to
determine what is in the consumer’s interest and what
isn’t when airlines propose joint commercial arrangements
that affect normal competition, and doubly so without good
data and historic trends at a detailed level.
“It’s in everyone’s interest for those decisions to be as well-informed as possible, said Mr Ward.
“There are real consequences for air passengers and regions, as we can see. New Zealand should bring in comprehensive data collection and reporting now, to protect passengers’ interests and vital air connectivity in the future.”
END