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Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor says the announcement that Sounds Air is ending its Blenheim to Christchurch services from the end of September is a sad day for the province.
Sounds Air has announced that its Blenheim to Christchurch and Christchurch to Wanaka services will cease to operate from September 28, 2025, with the airline citing escalating costs and supply chain structure, in conjunction with a very weak New Zealand dollar, as the main reasons.
Marlborough Airport, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Marlborough District Council, had been working with the airline over the past year to try to support it through challenging times, Mayor Taylor says.
“It is disappointing and sad for Marlborough to lose the Blenheim to Christchurch route.
“This service was particularly important as it provided a vital air link for Marlborough people to get to specialist treatment in Christchurch. There is no other option to fly direct from Blenheim to Christchurch – this is now a four-hour drive. That is going to put additional pressure and stress on those who are already at their most vulnerable.
“I am frustrated that Sounds Air was unsuccessful in securing support from Central Government as regional connectivity is also important for economic growth, particularly tourism. There is often talk of the regions being our country’s powerhouses – to be that we need infrastructure, services, and connectivity.
“A lot of countries around the world see the benefit of this and support regional airline connections. If regions are to grow in the manner Central Government wants, investment in this space is warranted and indeed necessary.”
Mayor Taylor says it was, however, good news that Sounds Air will continue providing services across Cook Strait as “capacity and choice was important for travellers” and the airline provided an important freight service as well.
Destination Marlborough general manager Tracey Green says Christchurch was a key market for Marlborough, both for leisure and corporate travel.
“Recent challenges with Air New Zealand and ferry services have compromised our connectivity and losing Christchurch as a direct link is a significant blow. These are tough economic times for everyone and Sounds Air has been a strong strategic partner for Marlborough, connecting our region with two of our main domestic markets, Christchurch and Wellington.
“The full impact of this loss in connectivity may not be immediately clear, but it’s a real shame this is happening just ahead of the summer season, when we rely on those connections the most,” Tracey says.
Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford says the airline’s challenges had begun through COVID and persisted for the past five years.
“We are not alone in this, Air New Zealand and other regional carriers in New Zealand, and world-wide, have been hit by the same cost increases, and the irony is that our passenger demand has never been stronger. However, aviation is a very price sensitive market and demand would dry up if we tried to pass all of the cost increases to our customers.
“Faced with these circumstances, we have concluded that we will revert to the model that was established in 1987, when Sound Air was founded – providing high frequency services between the North and South Islands across Cook Strait,” he says.
