Air Chathams 'very interested' in taking over Kāpiti-Auckland route

Air Chathams CEO Craig Emeny said the carrier is considering Auckland-Kāpiti service, following the withdrawal of Air New Zealand from the route on 03-Apr-2018 (Stuff, 20-Mar-2018). Mr Emeny said the company was "very interested" in the route, but a feasibility study was required, and a report into obstacles in the runway's path was due to be completed on 20-Mar-2018. "We have a technician looking into whether our aircraft have the performance they need to be able to avoid those obstacles if you had an emergency on take-off... These are the sort of things you have to be really thorough about and careful. Normally you need three months just to market in an area because, if you just arrive there, of course very few people know you and there's very few people on the airplane. It can be awfully expensive". Kāpiti Coast District Council (KCDC) mayor K Gurunathan said talks between the council, Air New Zealand and Air Chathams showed the airline could potentially take over the route.