The possible establishment of flight training operations at Whakatāne Airport came a step closer on Wednesday when the Whakatāne District Council adopted a recommendation supporting the development of a ‘Heads of Agreement’ with CTC Aviation Training NZ Limited.
CTC approached the Council late last year about the prospect of establishing a satellite training operation at Whakatāne Airport. Discussions between the company, the Airport Board and Council staff have since progressed to the point where the parties wish to formalise an agreement to jointly resolve any outstanding issues relating to the proposal. That process is expected to be completed by the end of July.
In a report to the Council, WDC Community and Economic Development General Manager Julian Reweti said the flight school proposal offered considerable economic benefits to the Airport and the Whakatāne District.
“CTC is a major flight training provider which works with international airlines to meet their ongoing pilot training needs. Trainees come from around the world and are typically young, well-educated and financially secure,” he said.
While based at Whakatāne Airport, trainees’ accommodation, dining and entertainment needs would be locally-sourced, adding significantly to the District’s economic activity. CTC’s activities would also add impetus to the Airport Board’s drive to improve the facility’s financial performance.
Reacting to the development, Airport Board Chairman Tony de Farias said the flight training operation CTC is considering would be a major boost for the airport. “The airport currently runs at a significant loss and board members are determined to turn that situation around. We are looking at a number of initiatives and development proposals to address the facility’s financial viability, and the additional lease and landing fee revenue that would result from the CTC proposal would certainly represent a major step forward.”
As part of the process of evaluating the facility’s suitability as a satellite training centre, CTC undertook night flying trials in January to allow the potential noise effects of a flight training operation to be assessed. Conducted by Marshall Day Acoustics Limited, the noise survey involved acoustic monitoring at a number of residential locations in the vicinity of the airport. Based on the noise levels observed during the night flying exercise, Marshall Day predicts that a flight training operation involving 30,000 flights a year would not have a significant effect on residents’ sleep patterns or the level of annoyance experienced from normal airport operations.
If flight training is established at Whakatāne Airport, CTC expects an initial demand for between 10,000 and 12,500 flights a year.