Mountain Scene
July 1, 2021
By GUY WILLIAMS
after Colin Keel cleaned out his desk yesterday.
Keel, who was in the job for just over five years, announced his resignation on April 7.
Airport comms boss Sara Irvine says QAC deputy chairman Simon Flood’s stepped into
the breach, as managing director, in the meantime.
‘‘The recruitment process for the new CEO is under way, and an announcement will be
made in due course,’’ Irvine says.
Keel’s stint in charge coincided with the most tumultuous time in the company’s history, with unprecedented year-on-year passenger growth pre-Covid, the closure of the borders, and strong community push-back to proposed air noise boundary extensions in the resort and planned commercial jet services in Wanaka.
Mountain Scene
By MATTHEW MCKEW
A call for Queenstown cabbies to have early access to the Covid-19 vaccine’s been heard, just a day after
Mountain Scene reported it.
On Thursday
Scene reported cabbies, who pick up passengers at Queenstown Airport, were fuming they weren’t not being prioritised for Covid vaccinations because they’d been deemed low-risk.
But staff at rental car companies, operating from inside the airport terminal, have been offered the jab.
The owners of two of the bigger taxi companies in the resort had pleaded for the Ministry of Health to recognise the risk drivers faced of both catching and spreading the virus from airport pick-ups.
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Mayor Jim Boult said business would continue as usual at Wānaka Airport. Prior to the lease being implemented, QAC held a management agreement to oversee the day-to-day running of the airport. Now the council would enter an interim arrangement for QAC to continue running Wānaka Airport to ensure continued operations, Boult said.
Supplied Operations for longer term management would be considered by the full council in coming months. “There’s a lot of work to do right now to just keep the airport running safely for the 30 plus operators and the 300 people who work at or in support of Wānaka Airport.”