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Source: ONE News -
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There will be another chance for those who lost loved one in the Erebus disaster to see for themselves where their family and friends died.
Many missed out on the Air New Zealand 30th anniversary flight due to depart this weekend, but now a Christchurch businessman plans to charter a flight there early next year.
It was almost two decades after the Erebus disaster before Australia put tourist trips back on the flight plan, but there hasn't been a single tourist flight from New Zealand since.
That is about to change after businessman Mike Pero said he planned to charter a flight with room for 307 passengers, with the families of Erebus victims getting priority.
"I can only think how I would feel if one of my parents had been involved - I would like to go down there and see it for myself," says Pero.
"There's probably not one person in New Zealand that's not touched or sensitive to the thoughts of the people involved with Erebus."
Andrew Bond, who lost both of his parents in the crash, would like to finally see where they died, even if it is only from the sky.
"When I was first told I was a little bit awkward with it," Bond said about the flight.
Now he thinks flying over the crash site would be cathartic.
"It's a way of people who have lost family to really sort of give something to themselves from it," says Bond.
The cost will vary, ranging from $1400 a seat up to almost $9000 for a place in First Class.
The 12 hour flight will leave Christchurch on January 31 next year.
Air NZ "disturbed"
Air New Zealand says it is deeply disturbed by what they say appears to be a PR stunt by Pero.
They say have been working closely with the families of those lost in the Erebus tragedy over the past few months and Pero has not made any contact with them regarding his plans.
Therefore, the airline says they find his announcement three days prior to the anniversary of the tragedy to be "nothing more than commercial opportunism of the lowest kind and deeply disrespectful."
