Duane Emeny: Air Chathams CEO on the Government's funding push for small airlines

There's relief for regional airlines, as they receive help to battle soaring costs.

The Government's offering up to $30 million in loans from the Regional Infrastructure Fund. 

It's also approved funding to allow digital upgrades to be made in order to integrate regional bookings with the platforms of major carriers.

Air Chathams CEO Duane Emeny says this is good news for the sector.

"We're looking to hopefully roll out a domestic trial later this year, but it's expensive, I can tell you, having gone through it. So any support that we can get for that is greatly appreciated." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Nine two nine two is the text number standard text
fees applied. Go on, tell me how wrong I am.
I'm happy to hear it. Now. The government's stepped in
to help small airlines. Shane Jones has given thirty million
dollars in government loans or at least they're on the
table to help keep the regional routes running. Cabinet's also
back the integration of booking systems so that regional carriers
show up when you're booking through big carriers like Auckland. Sorry,

(00:21):
like a New Zealand has made. Dwayne Emoni is the
CEO of Air Chathams And with us. Now, Hi Dwayne,
how good is that booking thing?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Though? Yeah, really good, really good. I think that's a
key piece. And we're actually a little way down the
track on that one already with any Zelland so we're
looking to hopefully roll out a domestic trial later this year.
So but it's expensive, I can tell you having gone
through it. So any support that we can get for

(00:50):
that's greatly appreciated.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Because do you have to pay for it? Like I
mean if you, But I'm shocked that we don't do
this already. You book anywhere else in the world you
get this. You know, you can go from Auckland to
wherever you need to go in the country all in
one ticket. Why doesn't it? Why don't we do it?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, it's a good question. There are ways of doing it,
I guess through the likes of global distribution systems, But
again the airline has to be proactive and make that
investment themselves to be linked into those systems, and some
of the really smaller carriers you just can't justify it
because these costs are quite significant just to be a
part of the system. So I think the fact that

(01:28):
government's picked us up and said, well, you know, how
do we make these regional routes more viable, Well, the
best way to do that is to effectively partner them
with a much bigger airline that everyone knows about, and
then it just becomes part of their network. And then
you have the inter deals between the airlines in terms
of how the fares get broken down and who gets what.

(01:49):
But the key is the customer gets to go from
point A through point B to point C seamlessly and
have that full ticket protection the whole way through. So yeah,
it's definitely a good thing.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Totally now what about this thirty million dollars in loans?
Is this helpful? Is this what you guys are struggling with,
is getting money?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
I think we need to make sure that it's helpful. So,
you know, this is something that's been lobbied on quite
a bit in the last couple of years, and you know,
I think the announcements are really positive. One. We've spent
the last number of months complaining about how tough everything
is and how we're not getting any help. So today
we're getting some help. So I think we need to
as small carriers, make the most of that. It's not

(02:31):
going to do everything, but it's definitely better than nothing.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Brilliant. Hey listen, Thank you so much, mate, look after
yourself and best of luck with the business that is
Dwyane Mny, the CEO of air Chatams.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
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Speaker 1 (02:45):
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