Air New Zealand today sent the New Zealand Commerce Commission documents showing that it has not engaged in anti competitive behaviour with Origin Pacific Airways.
Air New Zealand's Senior Vice President of Sales/Distribution/Regional Airlines and Cargo, Norm Thompson, said the confidential documents supplied to the NZCC show that a detailed strategy for the expansion of the airline's regional turbo prop services was submitted to senior management for consideration on July 2 this year. This strategy and the underlying business development plan, which included the implementation of a direct Hamilton to Christchurch service, had been in development for quite some considerable time.
Mr Thompson said the fact that direct flights from Hamilton to Christchurch departed at the same time as those planned by Origin Pacific was coincidental.
"We currently have two flights leaving Hamilton at 7.20am each weekday. All we are doing is changing the routing of one of those flights, so that it goes directly to Christchurch rather than via Wellington," he said.
Mr Thompson said that the move to introduce the direct Hamilton to Christchurch service was driven by customer demand.
"We have experienced a 23 percent increase in passenger growth - one million additional passengers - since the launch of Express Class almost a year ago and the figures for the Hamilton-Christchurch route are at record levels," he said.
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