NZ | Airports + Aviation News

[sam_L]

Originally Posted by Loafer

Hope I don't offend anyone here but I personally wouldn't trust anything getting a proper service in China. If they are saving $100million its for a reason, lower maintenance quality. Lets say this is the case and an air NZ plane crashes because of this, now its that good publicity? they saved on maintenance costs but destroyed their reputation in the process.

I can understand where you're coming from Loafer, but it's not like the Chinese engineers are unskilled workers. If they didn't know what they were doing i'm sure Air NZ wouldn't even consider using them.. and for all we know Air NZ could start going under if they don't make cuts like this now (they haven't been doing so well financially lately). Don't get me wrong though - it upsets me that so many skilled kiwis are going to be out of the job, but maybe it's just got to the point where Air NZ doesn't have much choice.

[KIWIKAAS]

A different perspective of AKL

A Lan Chili A340 touching down.
Pretty busy at the domestic terminal with 4 AirNZ 737s and 1 Qantas 737 in view.


http://www.airliners.net/photos/phot.../8/1002837.jpg

On final approach to AKL runway 05R.
One of the scruffiest looking runways I've seen.

http://www.airliners.net/photos/phot.../5/0914517.jpg

[spotila]

Yah that does look very scruffy!

[KIWIKAAS]

Aerial view of AKL (with scruffy runway 05R/23L )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:A...from_space.jpg



Up to date map of AKL. Complete with current taxiway closures (probably due to works being carried out).
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~airdata/images/NZAA.jpg

[hkskyline]

Air New Zealand cuts Singapore, Los Angeles flights, aims at China, North Asia
12 July 2006

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Air New Zealand said Wednesday its halting daily flights to Singapore and not recommencing twice weekly summer season flights to Los Angeles to pursue new more profitable routes in China.

Chief Executive Rob Fyfe said the changes were the start of a "repositioning process" to benefit the airline. North Asian routes represented substantially greater growth prospects than Southeast Asia -- already well-served with international airline capacity, he said in a statement.

"We have the debut of our nonstop 777 service to Shanghai three times a week from Nov. 6," he said.

The airline is also planning a second daily service to London via Hong Kong from October, while the cargo market was driving the carrier's preference "for building North Asia capacity," he noted.

"The Singapore route suspension, which takes effect on Oct. 2, presents Air New Zealand with aircraft and resources to pursue new opportunities ... and for planning ... new international routes," Fyfe said.

The airline currently has less than a 30 percent capacity share in the Auckland-Singapore market, and Fyfe said it had suffered significant losses flying to Singapore in recent years.

Airline group general manager Ed Sims said most passengers traveling to Singapore were connecting with another service, heading to the northern hemisphere.

"Most of these destinations are served just as effectively via Hong Kong," he said.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said the Singapore route was quite well served by other carriers during the peak season.

"Singapore Airlines flies 21 times a week in the peak season between Singapore and New Zealand," he noted.

Hickton said the move would not have a significant effect on New Zealand markets generally.

"It may have an impact on the Singapore market itself but that's not a huge one for us," he said.

Fyfe said the current fuel price environment and soft demand meant the airline would be dropping its Christchurch to Los Angeles service from Oct. 29.

He was committed to seeing Air New Zealand grow profitably, he added.

The national carrier, 82 percent owned by the government after a near-bankruptcy in 2001, has been restructuring its operations for the past four years.

[Verdi]

what a twaat airline. how dare they abandon the SI like that. i believed bussiness was booming with direct ch - la links. fuckers

[hkskyline]

NZ Rough Weather Hits Infratil's June Air Traffic Data
12 July 2006

WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--New Zealand-based infrastructure investor Infratil Ltd. (IFT.NZ) said Thursday domestic and international passenger numbers at Wellington Airport fell in June compared with a year earlier as poor weather and engineering problems halted flights.

Infratil, which owns 66% of Wellington airport, said domestic passenger numbers fell 2% from the same month last year, while international traffic fell 4%.

Infratil said adverse weather conditions and an unusual number of cancellations due to engineering issues had a "significant impact" on monthly traffic.

In contrast, June passenger traffic at its 100%-owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport rose 7% compared with the same month a year earlier and charter passengers rose 13%.

Freight volumes continued to fall however, down 2% on year.

[Davee]

hkskyline - why do you keep bringing us bad news!!! Please, something positive

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by DavidEugene

hkskyline - why do you keep bringing us bad news!!! Please, something positive

HEAR HEAR ! especially when it applies to Wellington - their slogan is POSITIVELY WELLINGTON

[hkskyline]

Here are some nice photos to brighten things
Source : http://www.pbase.com/bmcmorrow

[Davee]

Wow - Air Auckland - great

I'm not bitter

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by DavidEugene

Wow - Air Auckland - great

I'm not bitter

LOL

[hkskyline]

Air NZ unveils strategy
21 July 2006
National Business Review

Airline hopes to make comeback in UK passenger market

Graeme Kennedy

Air New Zealand expects the launch of its daily London services through Hong Kong in October will help it claw back some of the share of the UK passenger market it has lost.

The airline used to have half the total UK-New Zealand market of 200,000 passengers with its service through Los Angeles.

But total passenger numbers have grown to 300,000 and, still with one daily flight, Air NZ has seen its passenger numbers drop 10% and its share fall 30%.

"The UK market will grow to 500,000 and we will lift our share with the daily schedule through Hong Kong - and retain traffic we have been losing to other carriers, particularly Asian," Air NZ international airline group general manager Ed Sims says.

The airline's second daily London service from October 28 will increase its total UK capacity to almost 4000 one-way seats a week to the UK.

Mr Sims says the Boeing 777s that replaced 767s on the Auckland-Hong Kong route from July 1 will be transferred to the Osaka service while 747s will operate the new west-bound flights through to London.

He says 747s will continue to fly Auckland-Los Angeles but 777s will take over the Los Angeles-London sector, saving the airline an estimated $62 million a year in fuel costs.

The Hong Kong-London service will make Air New Zealand the industry's only round-world carrier.

This may not mean a lot to New Zealanders familiar and comfortable with long-distance travel "but UK passengers tend not to be and they like the idea of managing a round-world trip on one westernised English-speaking airline.

"And there is always a market premium for a carrier of the destination they are leaving or travelling to.

"Being a round-world carrier to New Zealand is a big advantage and we are already seeing this in forward bookings - for London-Hong Kong, London-Hong Kong-Auckland and round the world."

Mr Sims says another big advantage is Air New Zealand's position as the only Star Alliance carrier on the London-Hong Kong sector.

"There are a lot of Star operators in the UK and [continental] Europe markets but currently no vehicle to Hong Kong, which is a strong high-yield corporate route out of London."

He says Air New Zealand plans to add one or two new destinations a year over the next decade. "We have our new service to Shanghai from September 6 - our first major destination since San Francisco in 2004 and Fukuoka eight years ago, although [Fukuoka] lasted only three years."

"We received our sixth of eight 777s this week and in the past 17 months have refurbished all eight of our 747s with lie-flat beds and through-cabin in-flight entertainment.

"And the first of our four 787-9s will be delivered in February 2010 when the last five of our original nine 767s will have left the fleet."

Air NZ's probable future destinations include South America and India to tap in-bound tourism, new cities on the US west coast, and Canada where Vancouver is being considered as a top priority.

But Mr Sims says other routes will be dropped - such as Singapore, which after 40 years will cease to be an Air NZ destination from October 2 because of declining loads that have left the carrier with a less than 30% market share.

The summer-season Christchurch-Los Angeles direct services have also been scrapped while Auckland-Tahiti-Los Angeles frequencies are likely to be cut back.

"We are looking closely at destinations that are not making returns," Mr Sims says. "There will be a more efficient evaluation of existing routes and markets that are losing their appeal."

[Davee]

Very sad news about Origin Pacific.

I'm not even gong to comment on the behaviour of the "national" airline.

[dysan1]

Was CHC - LA not a good route? David i know ud be bummed...well i can see u are

[aucklandman]

thats fantastic Air NZ! Shame about CHCH-LA but o well its a business!

[Davee]

Originally Posted by aucklandman

thats fantastic Air NZ! Shame about CHCH-LA but o well its a business!

Your right on all counts Ben - a real bummer. South Island exporters are really hurting, it came as a real blow to the local bussiness. I do believe this will be short lived - big things will happen with the airline industry in the SI. CHC will get it's North America link again, although I don't ever believe it will be with the "national" airline. My only hope for the short term is that Jetstar, Pacific Blue and Qantas will give the "national" airline a real good shafting domestically. If they want to play raw bussiness (cause thats all they are doing) let them fight and perhaps have a taste of how they treated a small striving airline bussiness that was trying to give NZers a choice.

[Davee]

Originally Posted by dysan1

Was CHC - LA not a good route? David i know ud be bummed...well i can see u are

The CHC - LA route was working fine Mikey. It was a seasonal route Spring/Summer. Flights were full (I tried to book to come home at Christmas and only just got a seat, the travel agent in London told us the six months of flights were nearly all gone). As Ben has said before, it was a pure bussiness choice. They want to open up the routes between NZ and Asia, they need all the planes they can get for this, so CHC & AKL have lost out in flights to the USA, and some other destinations. The crazy thing is they are now trying to introduce this new shuttle service between CHC and AKL where you get of your LAX - AKL flight in AKL, get straight onto a 'shuttle' flight (remaining airside) to CHC where you will then clear customs, immigration and collect your bags. Then passangers going to Dunedin and elsewhere in the South Island or lower North Island can catch their domestic flights. This is better than nothing I suppose - if anyone has ever done the LAX flight then arrived in AKL and had to walk to the Domestic Terminal or wait for a bus, you will know what I mean.

In short it's just such a pisser. In future, I'll stick with Singapore Airlines (LHR - SIN - CHC) daily flights, really good service. It's a sad day when it's the foreign airlines that are the ones that stick with and support your local bussiness and infastructure............once again

I shall speak of this no more

[deepred]

If Wellington Airport manages to pull off the long-haul thing with the B787s and A350s, it'll likely be foreign airlines that'll step up to the mantle. Air AKL (sorry, Air NZ) has already written off WIAL's ambitions, but then again, it whinged when WIAL upgraded its domestic terminal in 1999, which is highly regarded by most.

At the end of the day, if airlines have issues with empty seats, then smaller planes would be the obvious solution. Until the B787 and A350 enter service, only the largest planes can do long haul flights.

[Kane007]

Paraparaumu $10m plan for airport terminal Dominion Post 2006/09/13

The new owners of Paraparaumu airport have unveiled ambitious plans for the site, including a $10 million terminal.

Paraparaumu Airport Holdings' major shareholder Noel Robinson said architects Warren Mahoney had been appointed to design the terminal, which he hoped to start building at the end of next year.

Designed in the shape of an aeroplane wing, the 200-metre long terminal was part of a $750 million airport-business park development plan announced for the 131-hectare site in May.

The terminal would be used for small airlines, aviation training, aircraft maintenance and as a place for air logistics companies, Mr Robinson said.

"We will have a lot more people flying in and out of the airport once we have the terminal built, which will be the heart of the development," he said.

As well as interest from national airport operators, six businesses based in New Zealand and Australia have said they wanted to move to the development, including a leading international hi-tech firm keen to establish 400 jobs, he said.

In response to community concern, Paraparaumu Airport Holdings planned to delete residential zoning at the site and retain two runways, after originally announcing the second east-west runway would be ditched.

It would now be moved slightly south and shortened, Mr Robinson said.

Kapiti Aero Club president Graham Barrell welcomed the news that the second runway would remain.

The overriding concern, gleaned from the first round of talks involving 300 face-to-face meetings, was that the airport be retained as a strategic asset, he said.

"We are also working with iwi to resolve some genuine concerns."