She was responding to an inquiry from the Otago Daily Times regarding international services, after an update from Dunedin City Holdings Ltd (DCHL) for the quarter ending March 31 to the Dunedin City Council said "promising inroads" were being made on the return of international services.
In an interview in February, new airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said regaining direct flights to and from Australia was one of his priorities and he was working with various operators to start a service.
Developing international services to a city needed a city-wide approach and the potential of the airport to help in the development of the South was not yet realised, he said.
In its update, DCHL — which is an equal shareholder with the Crown — said the airport had a "vastly improved" before-tax profit of $2.5 million for the year to date to March 31, up from $0.1 million the previous year.
