Latest / Best of Business / Justin Watson: Christchurch Airport chief executive on the new non-stop international flights announced from Christchurch

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Justin Watson: Christchurch Airport chief executive on the new non-stop international flights announced from Christchurch · Best of Business

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  Speaker 2: More good news for christ Church. Air New Zealand has
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  Speaker 2: announced three new non stop international routes and they will
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  Speaker 2: all fly out of christ Cheerch Airport. They're going to
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  Speaker 2: launch in late October to Perth, Singapore and Tokyo. Justin
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  Speaker 2: Watson is the Christchieacha Airport Chief Executive and with us
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  Speaker 2: Hi Justin Cure heathern did Air New Zealand come to
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  Speaker 2: you or you go to them all?
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  Speaker 3: Look, we work in partnership with all of our line partners,
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  Speaker 3: but in this case US in New New Zealand have
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  Speaker 3: been discussed for some time on this.
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  Speaker 2: Do you think it's been sparked their interest in christ
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  Speaker 2: Church as opposed to to Auckland Obviously, I mean, you
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  Speaker 2: guys are the hot new place. But is it also
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  Speaker 2: sparked by the fact that Auckland Airport is charging them
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  Speaker 2: so much?
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  Speaker 3: Look, I think it's predominantly because of what's happening in
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  Speaker 3: christ Church. In pull of destination christ Church, I mean,
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  Speaker 3: we really are in a sweet spot at the moment.
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  Speaker 3: People want to come and visit, they want to go
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  Speaker 3: to events, they want to see the they want to
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  Speaker 3: access the South Island and so I'd say that's the
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  Speaker 3: primary draw card.
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  Speaker 2: How much demand do you reckon there is for these
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  Speaker 2: three these.
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  Speaker 3: Three routes look, I think a lot. We've modeled the demand.
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  Speaker 3: We believe three services a week to each of those
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  Speaker 3: destinations is a good starting point and a starting point
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  Speaker 3: that we can then grow from.
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  Speaker 2: Justin, from how far Afield in New Zealand do you
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  Speaker 2: reckon people will fly into christ Church to then fly
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  Speaker 2: out to these places.
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  Speaker 3: It's a really interesting question because there's sort of a
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  Speaker 3: mindset issue because if you're sitting in Wellington, it's actually
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  Speaker 3: quicker to fly from Wellington to christ Church to Singapore
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  Speaker 3: than it is to go over Auckland. But there's there's
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  Speaker 3: a mindset issue where people don't like to feel like
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  Speaker 3: they're going backwards. So certainly from within the South Island
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  Speaker 3: is our primary catchment, but really anything Taupo South does
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  Speaker 3: make sense.
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  Speaker 2: Well Okay, Justin, thanks very much, Good luck with that.
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  Speaker 2: Justin Watson, christ your CHAIRPORL Chief executive.
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