Schwartz to start flights in bid to lift Hunter tourism

Wealthy hotelier Jerry Schwartz, fresh from meeting the Dalai Lama, is launching his own airline with the purchase of his first ­commuter plane to ferry high-end hotel guests from Sydney to the Hunter Valley’s wine region where he has forked out more than $100 million to develop three ­hotels, a conference centre and a brewery.

Dr Schwartz believes luxury and corporate tourism is being held back by the lack of transport access to the Hunter Valley region, which is about 2½-hour’s drive north of Sydney.

Dr Schwartz has registered Blue Sky Airlines for the venture and will charge passengers $250 one way to fly them from Rose Bay on his American-built Lake Sea Fury LA250 amphibious plane, which will land at Cessnock Airport and Newcastle Harbour near Dr Scwhartz’s 175-room Crowne Plaza Hotel and 88-room Novotel Newcastle.

“We are more or less launching our own airline, the way around the regulations is to have charter flights, with scheduled flights starting between Rose Bay, Newcastle Harbour and Cessnock Airport from October,” Dr Schwartz said.

“I am starting with a small six- seater because I am cognisant of the fact that there was a 12-seater seaplane service between Sydney and Newcastle but it did not go very well.”

Dr Schwartz said one of the main problems with tourism to Hunter Valley was accessibility because there was no direct rail or commercial air service.

“The only way to start getting flights into the Hunter Valley is to take it into your own hands.”

“I see a definite niche for corporate speakers and conference delegates taking the seaplane,” said Dr Schwartz whose Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley has 150 hotel rooms and 160 villas.

“It’s a no brainer.”

The flights will operate Thursday to Monday and Dr Scwhartz hopes to grow the service into a fleet. The seaplane, worth about $1 million, was previously used to fly guests from Queensland’s Hamilton Island to Hayman ­Island.

Dr Scwhartz is also planning to build a fourth hotel in Newcastle. Last year he paid $360m for Lend Lease’s International Convention Centre Hotel, which is under ­construction at Darling Harbour.

Source:  The Australian - 11th June 2015