New Zealand News

New Zealands Minister of Transport, Rob Storey, says the plan will see a progressively more deregulated market. From November Air New Zealand can fly to two Asian cities via Australia, a further three from November, 1993, and four more from November 1994. As many as 24 Boeing 767 flights a week to those cities could result. Over the same period, routes across the Tasman would be opened for Australasian airlines other than Air New Zealand and Qantas.

Air New Zealand’s chief executive, Jim McCrea, (he was recently appointed to the company’s board and becomes managing director, still remaining Air New Zealand Group’s chief executive officer) described the joint aviation agreement “on balance” as a positive outcome for this country.

“We recognise the commercial and strategic value of our access to operating rights beyond Australia,” he said.

It was becoming increasingly important for tourism inflows that “we offer a more flexible range of routes to meet the itinerary preferences of our customers.

“Mr McCrea pointed to a number of issues that still required changes of national stance, mainly from Australia, including access by Air New Zealand to the Australian domestic market, presently not available for another two years. He also referred to the non-discriminatory access of common user terminal facilities at Australian airports “the absence of which will frustrate true competition in Australasia”.

The airline’s managing director also said it was “clearly important to New Zealand that it retains its independent right to determine this country’s aviation policy and to negotiate with third countries in terms of that policy. Otherwise New Zealand’s valuable tourism interests and trade links could become entirely secondary to those of Australia”.

Smoke Free Flights for Air NZ Pax

From October 25, smoking will end on all Air New Zealand and Qantas flights across the Tasman.

Air New Zealand has decided after extensive passenger research to ban smoking from two thirds of its international flights. As well as the smoke free Tasman flights, Air New Zealand is extending the ban throughout the Pacific, to Apia, Nadi, Noumea, Nuku’alofa, Rarotonga, Papeete and Honolulu.

Smoking will also be prohibited on Auckland/Los Angeles flights which first stop at Honolulu. The daily non stop Auckland/Los Angeles service will still allow passengers to smoke.

The Air New Zealand and Qantas moves on smoking in aircraft follow pioneering moves by Cathay Pacific and Canadian International. It is also understood that Qantas is to ban smoking on three non stop Sydney/Los Angeles flights a week. That means smokers will have to go about 15 hours without a puff.

The “no smoking” pioneers say since they cleaned up travel habits, they have attracted more passengers searching for fume free flights.

Jets Raise Tourist Capacity

Air New Zealand Boeing 737-200 jets now fly into Queenstown following the fitting of hush kits. Air New Zealand and the Mount Cook Airline (1000/4 owned by Air New Zealand) are jointly marketing the new daily jet service.

The jet service to the major South Island tourist resort is seen by observers as a determined bid by the two carriers to end the growing dominance of Ansett New Zealand which uses British Aerospace 146s.

The Air New Zealand hush kitted twiajet will serve both Rotorua and Queenstown, via Christchurch, and greatly reduce travelling time. Mount Cook Airline uses mainly 44 seat Hawker Siddeley 748s on these routes. During the peak season MCA operates up to 14 flights daily to Queenstown.

Air New Zealand hush kitted 737-200s are also being used on services into Wellington where residents are sometimes subjected to noise problems. Air New Zealand installed hush kits on two twirtjets recently and plans to reduce the engine noise of five or so others next year. It is understood Air New Zealand is spending more than $NZ55m on its hush kit programme.

The first airline to use hush kits on 737s was Lufthansa, which introduced the quieter 737s in August. Air New Zealand was the second airline in the world to hush kit 737-200s. The hush kits for the 737 were developed by the Boeing aircraft company in conjunction with an American engineering company, Nordam Corporation, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney.

Norm Thompson, general manager, Air New Zealand National, said the hush kits “reduce engine noise to a level that meets acceptable noise standards in both New Zealand and overseas”.

New Trans Tasman Link?

An Ansett link between Wellington and Melbourne is a possibility following the new trans Tasman aviation agreement.

Ansett is keen to establish “domestic to domestic” terminal links across the Tasman, Ansett Group public relations manager Peter Young was quoted in the Wellington Evening Post newspaper recently. He said the high volume trade was between Melbourne and Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. (Refer p24 Aug 92 AA)

Under the aviation agreement, Ansett was excluded from operating out of Sydney to New Zealand and on the Auckland to Brisbane route for another year. A Melbourne to Wellington service was therefore a possibility. However, a lot of research was needed to determine what sort of new business could be generated.

“We are keen to join the two ends of our organisation together but we have to ensure there is an opportunity to make a profit”, Mr Young-was quoted as saying. New Zealand’s Transport Minister, Rob Storey, said that from next month three new trans-Tasman routes were available. There was no limit on the frequency of flights.

Skyhawks Banned From Overwater Flights

The Royal New Zealand Air Force imposed a ban on Skyhawk pilots from flying over the sea until modifications were made to survival packs attached to their ejection seats.

A fault in the survival pack release mechanism was detected when flying officer Scott Noel Armour, 23, ejected from his crippled Skyhawk over the southern North Island.

The survival pack, containing a dinghy, food and emergency medical supplies, was supposed to separate from the ejection seat and remain with the pilot when he parachuted to safety. Butwhen F O Armour ejected the survival pack release mechanism malfunctioned. The pack stayed attached to the seat, said RNZAF spokeswoman Flt Lt Diana Hales.

She said it was considered wiser not to fly over the ocean until all 20 Skyhawks were modified. She added; “In the 22 years we have operated Skyhawks there have been only two occasions where pilots have ejected”.

The pilot who ejected to safety suffered only a slight lower back strain. He ejected at 6000ft when his engine failed during combat practice over the Wairarapa coast. The aircraft punched a hole several metres deep into the earth. The engine was removed by an Iroquois helicopter and taken to the Woodbourne air base in the South Island for study. However, it could be weeks before the cause of the crash was known, said the RNZAF.

Student Pilot Flies Into “Storm”

The New Zealand Governor General, Dame Catherine Tizard, is learning to fly but has flown into a storm on where she takes her lessons.

Dame Catherine 61, is patron of the Royal New Zealand Aero Club and the club was disappointed to hear that she is learning to fly with a training school that is not affiliated.

RNZAC president Don Weir said when Dame Catherine “opened our annual conference last year she said she’d like to learn to fly. It’s great news that someone of her status is taking up flying. “As patron of the club I thought she’d have gone to an aero club or someone who was affiliated”.

In Brief

• An extra keen Air Training Corps member found his camouflage had the wrong effect, as instead of concealing him, it attracted attention. Police at Tauranga in the North Island were called to a street to investigate a sighting of a man walking along with a blackened face, wearing jungle green camouflage clothing and carrying a machine gun. The plastic machine gun was a decorative extra the dedicated ATC member was taking on a weekend exercise.

• Air New Zealand’s strategic planning manager, Miss Glenys Coughlan, has been appointed chairman of the New Zealand chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association.