Blogger News Network

June 2, 2006 

Taupo airport has been rated the worst in the world by the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations because safety is "critically deficient".

The main concern is over air traffic controllers, of which Taupo airport has none.

In 2004 the Civil Aviation Authority rejected a recommendation made by their own staff to install a flight information service was vital. Civil Aviation Authority director John Jones said that the reason it was rejected was because it was not cost effective. A spokesman yesterday said that their position had not changed.

"Failure to endorse the major safety recommendation of the study team would expose the director to a level of risk that would be difficult to defend in the event of an incident at Taupo that might have been mitigated by an (information service). We believe your recommendation would place the travelling public and aviation participants at risk and would be indefensible in a Coroners Court." study team leader Len Wicks wrote in an internal memo.

The New Zealand Airline Pilots Association issued 11 "special operating procedures" that the pilots should follow when at the Taupo airport. The only other airport which had the next highest amount is Umtata, South Africa which has five.

Taupo is tenth busiest in New Zealand, it has more flights than Napier, Dunedin or Invercargill but these places do have air traffic control.

Air New Zealand's Eagle Air general manager, Doug Roberts, said that they had been flying to Taupo for tens of years without any problems. That goes the same with Taupo Air Charter which has been in Taupo for 25 years and hasn't had any problems.

Sources

• Roeland Van Den Bergh & Mike Watson "Airport puts '65,000 lives at risk'". The Dominion Post, June 02, 2006

• "Concerns over safety of Taupo Airport". Close Up, June 01, 2006