Friday 15th June 2018 – The Kāpiti Coast Chamber of Commerce supports the Kāpiti Coast District Council’s efforts to secure the Air Chathams airline for the Kapiti Coast.

The Kāpiti Coast District Council has started negotiations to financially support Air Chathams, to assist in bringing their services to Kāpiti Coast Airport.

Heather Hutchings, Chair of the Kāpiti Coast Chamber of Commerce says local air services will play an important role in helping the regional economy thrive.

“Having an airport with regular air connections to our largest city is critical for business growth in Kāpiti and the wider region, particularly given the investment in major infrastructure like Transmission Gully.

“We support the Kāpiti Coast District Council in their efforts to secure Air Chathams for Kāpiti Airport; we’ve all been working to do this since March when Air New Zealand announced it was withdrawing its services. There will be a significant economic benefit for local businesses in having another airline operating from Paraparaumu, which I’m sure the Council will pragmatically consider in their negotiations.

“We need to maintain momentum – the lack of a local air connection is impacting Kapiti. We are proactively working alongside Air Chathams, the Kāpiti Coast District Council and Todd Property to bring air services back to Kapiti,” says Heather Hutchings, Kāpiti Coast Chamber of Commerce Chair.

Kāpiti Coast District Council has been working to secure a viable Kāpiti-Auckland air service since March when Air New Zealand announced that they were withdrawing their services – just a week after the hugely successful Open Day at Kāpiti Coast Airport where more than 1,000 people visited to show their support for the daily flight service.

 

For more information, please contact:
Jacinda Thorn, Public Relations | 027 3970616 | [email protected]
Heather Hutchings, Kāpiti Chamber Chair | 021 0696 143 | chair@Kāpitichamber.org.nz
Julene Hope, Chair, Chamber Advocacy Committee | 021 500709