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Looking A Little Sinister On A Wet And Deserted Tarmac At Wigram, The Newly Restored Hudson Mk/I (nz2013) Of The Rnzaf Museum On Its Completion Rollout July 17. (sgt Colin Mcdiarmid Rnzaf)
New Zealand News
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New Trans Tasman Operator
In a time of increasing traffic across the Tasman and decreasing fares due to the increased competition, another player has entered the market. This time the carrier is based in Invercargill and is a joint project between Harvey World Travel Australia, Souwest Marketing of Invercargill and the New Zealand Tourism Board. The group is targeting Australian skiers from Brisbane and the Gold Coast who are interested in skiing the slopes on New Zealand’s South Island. A Boeing 737-400 has been chartered from Air Nauru by Souwest for an initial eight return flights between Brisbane and Invercargill. The flights were due to begin on July 21 with intensive advertising being conducted on radio and in newspapers in Australia which will continue until September. However the airline struck an early hitch with a marketing delay in Australia causing the cancellation of the first and second flights. It is hoped that the next scheduled flights between August 11 and September 29 will proceed as planned. So far ticket sales have been slow due to strong competition from Qantas which has forced Souwest to lower its fares further.
Kiwi Cabin Crew Drama
Kiwi International are being investigated by both the New Zealand and British CAAs over claims that undertrained cabin crews were used on Kiwi’s Boeing 757 which was leased from Air 2000 of the UK. Kiwi, however, claims that the crews in question were there for work experience and that they were there in addition to the usual numbers of crew carried. If the claims against Kiwi are correct then both Kiwi and Air 2000 could face heavy fines and Air 2000 could lose its operating certificate as it is the owner of the aircraft used at the time. In other Kiwi news, the discount airline has again dropped its prices for the cheapest ever air fares across the Tasman with its new fare of $199 return between Hamilton and Melbourne or Christchurch and Melbourne. One catch however is that you must return the same day as the fares are promoted for one day shopping trips to Melbourne. Kiwi has also decided that it will lease either two Boeing 757s or two Airbus A321s next year when the leases on its current A320 and 737-300 run out. This shelves the plans Kiwi had of acquiring its own aircraft as a delay of 18 months for delivery of aircraft from the manufacturers has recently been announced by both Boeing and Airbus. The new leased aircraft however represent a significant increase in capacity for the airline as either aircraft is capable of seating over 200 passengers.
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Christchurch Terminal Upgrade
With steadily increasing interest in New Zealand’s South Island, Christchurch intends to take full advantage of the increased number of international flights coming into the city. A total of $NZ80 million will be spent upgrading the terminal by expanding the present terminal and shopping area and refurbishing the existing infrastructure. Christchurch is hoping to take some of the influx of international flights from Auckland which at the moment receives 75% of the international flights into New Zealand.
Air NZ Wine Choice Wins Acclaim
In the recent eighth annual Business Traveller’s ‘Cellar in the Sky’ competition, Air New Zealand has been ranked third in the world for its selection of wine available in its business class, submitting two whites, two reds and a sparkling wine for scrutiny. Air New Zealand has been praised for its exclusive selection of high quality New Zealand wines used on its flights.
Ansett Dash 8 Accident Report Delayed
The accident report regarding the Dash 8 crash last year has been delayed due to legal action taken by the NZ Airline Pilots’ Industrial Union of Workers which prohibits the inclusion of extracts from the cockpit voice recorder of the flight. These extracts were used as an appendix for the report. The decision has angered the Transport Accident Investigation Commission which compiled the report, stating that there are lessons to be learned from such accidents and can be used for the prevention of similar accidents occurring. The report could be delayed as long as three months while the Commission appeals the decision.
Round The Clock Hamilton Approach
Following the recent complaints regarding the lack of a 24 hour approach radar control service at Hamilton, Airways Corp has announced that such a service should be provided by the end of August. Training has commenced for additional controllers in the Auckland radar centre which provides coverage for Hamilton. The 24 hour coverage will become available as additional controllers are trained.
Briefs
Air Chathams has replaced its Metroliner on the Chathams Island run with the larger Convair 580. The Convair will allow much greater loads of passengers and freight to be carried. However the Convair had to wait until facilities were improved before the aircraft could enter service.
Mt Ruapehu continues to cause disruptions to New Zealand’s air traffic with further eruptions. The biggest loser is Hawke’s Bay Airport who have claimed up to $10,000 in lost revenue since the first eruption. Air Nelson has also suffered with the cancellation of 120 flights during the period.
The Croydon Aviation Heritage Trust has bought an airworthy DH.90 Dragonfly from England which will be flown to New Zealand later in the year. It is one of only two available in the world.
The Percival Gull flown by New Zealand aviatrix Jean Batten on her solo 1936 flight from England to New Zealand is set to fly again. The aircraft has been restored to airworthy standards and may be flown around Auckland on the anniversary of her flight on October 16. The aircraft is owned by the Auckland International Airport and will be on permanent display there from next year.
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