Title : Sounds Air Looking at 3 Beech 1900s
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Sounds Air Looking at 3 Beech 1900s
The national carrier phased them out, but larger twin-engine planes could be returning to the skies between Blenheim and Christchurch early next year. Sounds Air is looking at purchasing up to three 19-seater Beechcraft 1900Ds, something which has been described as a quantum leap for the Marlborough airline. Chief executive Andrew Crawford said the board met last Friday and authorised further research into the viability of larger planes on the route it first started flying last August. The idea was mooted in the middle of this year, with Crawford telling a public meeting on air services in Marlborough that the airline was doing everything it could to make the service useful. The Blenheim-Christchurch sector, which had seen a spike in demand since the November 14, 2016 earthquake knocked out State Highway 1, was currently serviced by nine-seater Pilatus PC-12s. Crawford said a decision would be made on the larger planes in December - if the board signed off on the addition to the fleet, the Beechcrafts would be in the sky early next year. "We need to get onto it as soon as possible, so we're actively pursuing a decision. We'd be moving into twin-engines, and two pilots so it would be a huge step for us," he said. Air New Zealand used to fly the Blenheim-Christchurch sector using the 19-seater Beechcrafts, but these were phased out and replaced with 50-seater Bombardier Q300s early last year. The national carrier, citing a lack of demand, dropped the route entirely last July, leaving the door open for Sounds Air to pick up the slack. Crawford said the decision to investigate larger planes on the route was made due to the level of demand and need for more capacity. The airline currently offered around 22 return flights a week between the two centres, priced at a flat rate of $199 one-way or $398 return. While he was unsure what impact introducing larger planes would have on pricing, Crawford said the Beechcrafts would give passengers more choice. SH1 between Blenheim and Christchurch was expected to re-open before Christmas, however Crawford said there would still be demand on the route. "There's a lot of people that still wouldn't drive that road, you can't go to Christchurch and back for a meeting even if the road is open and perfect," he said. The decision to investigate larger planes was also made with an eye to growth. This year the airline expected to carry around 120,000 passengers, a huge increase on the 90,000 Crawford said they carried last year.
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