Airways New Zealand Wins Prestigious International Award

The resilience of Airways NZ staff in responding to the devastating Christchurch earthquakes was recognised with a significant win in the global aviation Jane's Air Traffic Control (ATC) Awards, announced today in Amsterdam.

Airways NZ beat out stiff competition from German and Canadian entrants in the Service Provision category to take home the award, the first time New Zealand has done so in the 12 year history of the awards which recognise excellence in air traffic control. 

"The September 2010 and February 2011 Christchurch earthquakes had the potential to seriously impact domestic and international travel. But thanks to the willingness of Airways staff to safely go beyond the call of duty and develop creative solutions, NZ airspace was kept open," said Airways Chief Executive, Ed Sims.

Mr Sims, who was in Amsterdam to collect the award, said the Christchurch earthquakes – and the Chilean ash-cloud of June 2010 – put significant pressure on NZ's sole provider of air traffic control services. 

"Despite evacuation of the Christchurch Radar Centre and the widespread disruption to essential services, Airways' crisis recovery procedures were employed and within 90 minutes of the February quake, ATC services were back in place."

This was despite the fact staff were personally impacted by the devastation. "A respected Airways employee lost her life in the February quake, while others lost their homes or suffered substantial losses to their properties. I'm proud of Airways staff who put personal distress aside and took responsibility to keep the skies open."