New Zealand: Airports warn Transport Minister: Change the law or services will be shut down

Jet services could end to some regions if a court ruling forces the aviation watchdog to change its decision making, New Zealand's airports are warning. The New Zealand Airports Association has written to Transport Minister Simon Bridges seeking an urgent law change to prevent a court decision from requiring the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to remove cost from its calculations of whether longer safety areas are practicable. In February the Court of Appeal ordered the director of civil aviation, Graeme Harris, to change the way he determines whether runway safety areas are acceptable. The order came after the Airline Pilots' Association challenged the CAA's finding for Wellington Airport's safety area in its proposed runway extension. The Court of Appeal said the CAA should not consider cost as a substantial factor in determining whether a longer RESA is practicable. In a letter to Bridges on March 14, released under the Official Information Act, the NZ Airports Association said the decision could have a "pronounced" impact on New Zealand's air services.<br/>