Capital Express

Operating a nonstop service between Dubai and Auckland has been in our sights for some time. EMIRATES CEO AL MAKTOUM P8

The flights – SQ291 and SQ292 – will be operated by SIA’s regionally-configured 266-seat Boeing 777-200s that feature 38 seats in business and 228 seats in economy, and will be on the ground in Canberra for approximately 90 minutes in both directions.

The new flights were announced in Canberra on January 20 by Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong, joined by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Canberra Airport chairman Terry Snow.

“We are especially pleased to be bringing more convenient travel options to customers with Canberra’s first regularly scheduled international flights and the first non-stop links between the capitals of Australia and New Zealand,” Goh said.

SIA is in separate alliance partnerships with Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand, and Virgin Australia will codeshare on both the Singapore-Canberra and Canberra- Wellington sectors, but to date SIA had not reached agreement with Air New Zealand with codesharing on the new route.

One small step for SIA, one giant leap for Canberra Airport

For SIA, the new flights represent meaningful but incremental extra capacity into Australia – including flights by its Silk Air subsidiary to Cairns and Darwin, Singapore Airlines already operates 136 flights a week to Australia. SIA’s longhaul low-cost subsidiary also serves Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Still, the new route will allow SIA to better attract high-yielding Canberra-based government travellers looking to fly not just to Singapore, an important political and economic hub in its own right, but beyond to Asia and Europe without having to stop over in Sydney. And it also offers an attractive option for public servants and political staffers travelling between Canberra and Wellington. Another attraction of the route is the ability to serve Wellington, as its 2,081m runway means longhaul nonstop services to Asia are uneconomic due to aircraft payloadrange restrictions.

But for Canberra Airport, the announcement of international services is a realisation of long-held dreams both of the airport, owned by the local Snow family, and the ACT Government.

Canberra Airport has long lobbied for international services, particularly since its main runway extension was opened in 2006 and its $480 million terminal redevelopment was progressively opened from 2010. The airport terminal’s western concourse, which is home to the capital’s Virgin Australia flights and opened in March 2013, incorporates space for customs and immigration facilities and gates that can accommodate international flights, with the SIA flights to use the airport’s Gate 6.

Canberra’s only direct scheduled international service to date was Air Pacific (now Fiji Airways) briefly operating flights to Nadi in 2004, but, until now at least, the airport has suffered from its close proximity to Sydney Airport.

So for airport chairman Terry Snow, the new Singapore Airlines international flights represented the “full realisation of this dream when we bought this dog of an airport”.

That “dog” has certainly been transformed, particularly with the 2013 opening of its brand-new, $480 million terminal and now its first serious international services. Aviation consulting house CAPA – Centre for Aviation described the route as a “bold step” for SIA, an airline which has a strong presence in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Figures from CAPA and OAG showed there were an average of 45 one-way passengers per day in the local Canberra-Singapore market. However, the route will rely on passengers connecting beyond Singapore, as well as those who currently drive to Sydney for their international travel.

“Entering the Canberra market is still relatively risky, particularly for traditionally conservative SIA, but a gamble worth taking given the support it is receiving from both Canberra and Wellington,” CAPA said in a research note dated January 26.

“For now, SIA does not view the Wellington market as large enough to support a non-stop to Singapore, and it also does not view the Canberra market as large enough to support a non-stop to Singapore on its own.

“However, combining the two markets and being able to pick up passengers travelling between the two capitals makes the route potentially viable – or at least worthy of the experiment.”

CAPA noted Canberra Airport was spending about $7 million to support the route, while Wellington City Council had pledged to pay SIA up to NZ$9 per passenger brought to the NZ capital.

SIA joins China Airlines, Emirates, LAN, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia X – which announced in January it would return to NZ for the first time in three years when it extends one of its Kuala Lumpur-Gold Coast flights onwards to Auckland from March with its 377-seat Airbus A330-300s – as one of six fifth-freedom carriers on the trans-Tasman market.

Virgin profit up, Emrbaer fleet down

Virgin Australia plans to work its Boeing 737‑800 fleet harder after announcing the withdrawal of five Embraer E190s, as the airline group reaffirmed a return to profitability for the full 2015/16 financial year.

The airline plans to reduce its 98-seat Embraer E190 fleet from 18 currently to 13 by September, removing five aircraft that have been deemed surplus to requirements.

Virgin chief executive John Borghetti says the removal of the five E190s will be covered by increased fleet utilisation of its 737-800s, with some routes currently served with Embraer aircraft now better suited to the Boeing narrowbody.

“A lot of those routes have grown to the point where you actually need a 737 and the routes that haven’t grown, we’ve still got enough Embraers to do,” Borghetti tells Australian Aviation in an interview after handing down Virgin’s 2015/16 first half results on February 11.

“This is not designed to target a particular fleet type. The Embraers are great aircraft but ultimately it is about optimisation of the fleet.”

The fleet optimisation initiatives, including the sale of six Embraer 170s currently sub-leased to Delta Air Lines and the retirement of Virgin Australia Regional Airlines’ (VARA) Fokker 50 fleet, were part of the airline group’s cost reduction program, as well as helping pay down debt and improve fleet utilisation. The airline is targeting $1.2 billion in cumulative cost savings by the end of 2016/17.

In terms of the widebody fleet and the prospect of a potential Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 order, Borghetti says Virgin has plenty of time to make up its mind.

The installation of a new business class and refreshed premium economy cabin on Virgin’s five Boeing 777-300ERs is expected to be completed by June or July, with the first aircraft with the new seats to take to the skies in April.

“All the major tests have been passed. There are just a couple of things to finalise but at this stage all is looking good,” Borghetti says.

The 777, which flies to Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi, is likely to stay in the Virgin fleet until at least the “low 2020s”.

In terms of the financial results, Virgin posted a welcome return to the black in the six months to December 31 2015, with net profit coming in at $62.5 million, compared with a $47.8 million statutory net loss in the prior corresponding period. It was the strongest net profit result since the first half of 2009/10.

Underlying profit before tax, which removes one-off items and was the airline’s preferred indicator of financial performance, rose to $81.5 million in the half, compared with $10.2 million a year ago.

Virgin’s domestic operations, Tigerair Australia and Velocity frequent flyer all made a positive contribution to the overall result. While Virgin’s international flying continued to remain a lossmaking part of the business, its financial results did improve from the prior corresponding half and would have been better had it not been for the disruptions caused by the Bali ash cloud.

Yield growth in its domestic business was achieved by the changing mix of customers in the cabin as Virgin chased more corporate and government business. The airline is targeting 30 per cent of its domestic revenue to come from the government and corporate sector by 2016/17.

Borghetti says the company is on track for a full year profit, without offering specific earnings guidance.

Emirates to claim title for world’s longest flight with nonstop service to Auckland

Emirates will operate the world’s longest passenger flight from March when it begins nonstop service to Auckland from its Dubai hub with a Boeing 777-200LR.

The Dubai-Auckland route measures 7,668 nautical miles, according to the Great Circle Mapper, eclipsing Qantas’s Airbus A380 route between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth at 7,454nm which currently holds the record as the longest nonstop passenger flight.

Emirates Airline and Group chairman and chief executive Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said having nonstop flights to NZ was something the airline had been considering for a while.

“Operating a nonstop service between Dubai and Auckland has been in our sights for some time, dependent on availability of suitable aircraft as we rapidly expand our global network of destinations, and frequency of flights and capacity on existing routes. We are particularly delighted that we can now bring this exciting plan to fruition,” Al Maktoum said in a statement on January 28.

The new Dubai-Auckland flights, which take off from March 1, are expected to cut travel times to NZ by about three hours, Emirates said.

Currently, Emirates has four flights a day to New Zealand – three to Auckland via Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with Airbus A380s, and a daily flight between Christchurch and Sydney with a Boeing 777‑300ER. Emirates’ New Zealand services are operated in cooperation with global alliance partner Qantas. Further, passengers will be able to connect onto Jetstaroperated domestic flights from Auckland.

Al Maktoum said offering nonstop flights to Auckland would be a “boon to many business people, tourists, expatriate New Zealanders and other travellers in Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East”.

“Tourists, in particular, will now have more options – travelling to Auckland with a stopover in Australia on one of our three daily A380s, flying nonstop direct into Auckland, or flying to the South Island on our daily Christchurch service,” Al Maktoum said.

“New Zealand currently hosts about three million tourists a year and we want to do our part to cater for that flow and grow that figure above current expectations.

“Auckland as the major gateway is now a thriving and attractive city of 1.5 million and, together with tourism and business traffic, we are sure that it will easily sustain the introduction of the extra flight.”

Emirates is the first of the Middle East carriers to launch nonstop flights to NZ. However, Qatar Airways may not be far behind, with Bloomberg reporting on January 22 the oneworld alliance member was also planning to operate nonstop to Auckland from its Doha hub.

Etihad serves NZ through its alliance with Virgin Australia. Auckland Airport general manager for aeronautical commercial Norris Carter said the new Emirates services, which is in addition to the three Auckland services from Australia, would help stimulate travel, trade and tourism.

“Auckland Airport estimates this new service using a 777‑200LR aircraft will provide an extra 194,180 seats per annum on the Dubai route and deliver an additional $125 million every year to the New Zealand economy,” Carter said in a statement.

In other ultra long-haul news, United said it would operate the world’s longest Dreamliner flight when it begins nonstop service between Singapore and San Francisco, a distance of 7,339nm, from June 1 with Boeing 787-9s.

A340 testbed visits Darwin for ice crystals detection trials

An Airbus A340 testbed has spent 10 days operating out of Darwin Airport in search of icing conditions in tropical thunderstorms as part of a flight test campaign to trial new technologies developed to detect icing conditions.

A340-300 F-WWAI – in fact A340 MSN1, the original A340 flight test development aircraft, which first flew in October 1991 – arrived in Darwin on January 11 and stayed in the Northern Territory capital until the 22nd while it flew in support of the Airbus-led High Altitude Ice Crystals (HAIC) project.

“The flight test campaign is to test and validate new ice detection (ice detectors) and awareness (radars) technologies developed in the framework of the HAIC (High Altitude Ice Crystals) project,” an Airbus spokesperson said.

“The project aims to enhance international flight safety and to prepare ways to comply with new regulations regarding mixed phase and glaciated icy conditions.”

Wet season storm activity brought the A340 to Darwin.

“Darwin has been selected as the operating base as areas of ice crystals/icing conditions are located close to deep convective complexes, like anvils of thunderstorms and tropical storms. These conditions are common in the Top End during the wet season,” the Airbus spokesperson said. The HAIC consortium comprises 34 partner organisations from 11 European countries plus five international partners, including Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

The €22.6 million project, funded by the European Commission, began in August 2012 and is due to be completed by July 2016.

First AMSA Challenger revealed

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss has unveiled the first Bombardier Challenger 604 which will replace Aerorescue Dorniers for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) search and rescue operations.

Truss inspected the first of four Challenger 604s, which was currently being fitted for SAR at Cobham Aviation Services’ hangar in Adelaide on January 27.

The special mission aircraft were being acquired by Adelaide-based Cobham Aviation Services under a $640 million, 12-year contract that was awarded in 2014 and covered modifying, equipping, operating and maintaining the CL 604s.

A potential three-year extension to the contract would increase its value to more than $700 million.

Truss said the aircraft would be equipped with “a whole range of new technologies” to respond rapidly, locate and assist people in distress in the water or on land. Some of this technology was not available in the early search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, he said.

The Challengers will have forward-looking infrared and anomaly detection sensors, live stream video to assist in planning rescues, and carry stores such as life rafts, survival equipment and satellite phones.

“The aircraft will also be able to live stream video of the situation in real time as they plan the rescue of those people,” Truss said.

“So this is an important investment in the safety of people on vessels or in remote areas across Australia who find themselves in trouble. The capability reflects our commitment to providing search and rescue responses in line with our international obligations for aeronautical and maritime search and rescue.”

The first Challenger, VH-XNC, arrived in Adelaide in December and was due to enter service in August, operating from a base in Perth. Two more aircraft – to be based in Cairns and Melbourne’s Essendon Airport – were expected to follow later in 2016. The fourth aircraft will be used for backup and to replace aircraft which are offline for maintenance.

Each of the aircraft was valued at $6-7 million, fully equipped. Cobham Aviation Services president Peter Nottage said the company was “delighted to be bringing this sort of capability” to Australia.

Cobham was working with local companies to develop much of the equipment and technologies for the new aircraft, with most of the modification work being undertaken at the company’s Adelaide Airport facilities.

The aircraft would be operated with five-member crews – captain, first officer, visual search officer, electronic search observer and aircraft mission coordinator. They will be on permanent standby to enable search and rescue tasks to be mounted around the clock.

Emirates adds second Perth A380 flight

Emirates will operate the Airbus A380 on its second of two daily services to Perth from August 1, replacing the 777-300ER that currently operates the EK424/EK425 rotation. The Qantas alliance partner commenced A380 services to Perth last May operating EK420/EK421. The second daily A380 service – EK424 departs Dubai at 10.10am, arriving in Perth at 12.50am the next day, EK425 departs Perth at 6.00am, arriving in Dubai at 1pm the same day – will allow Emirates to offer 14,000 seats a week between Dubai and Perth.

ANA, Iran Air end A380 order drought

Airbus’s flagship A380 has ended a three-year drought for new orders with confirmation Japan’s ANA and Iran Air will be new operators of the world’s largest airliner.

On January 29, ANA Holdings (ANA HD) confirmed it would take three A380s, with first delivery due in 2019.

ANA said the A380, which will be powered with Rolls-Royce Trent 900s, would be used initially between Tokyo and Honolulu.

“The A380 allows us to efficiently expand seating capacity at a lower cost per seat while offering a flexible range of cabin classes,” ANA said on January 29.

Airbus said the ANA order lifted total orders for the A380 to 319, with 179 already delivered to 13 airlines. Emirates is the A380’s largest customer, having ordered 140 of the type. Closer to home, Qantas has 12 A380s in its fleet. Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier said ANA would benefit from the A380’s “proven operating economics and unrivalled passenger appeal”.

“We are confident that the A380 will play an important role in the success of ANA HD’s new business strategy,” Bregier said in a statement.

“The A380 will help ANA Group overcome capacity constraints at Tokyo’s busy airports, transporting more passengers, more efficiently and in greater comfort – all at lower cost.”

ANA will be the first Japanese operator of the A380. Japan’s Skymark Airlines had ordered six A380s, but Airbus terminated Skymark’s order in 2014. The airline later filed for bankruptcy in May 2015.

Two A380s that were slated for delivery to Skymark have already been built and sit in storage at Airbus’s facility in Toulouse. These aircraft were currently being re-marketed and will not be going to ANA.

In August, the airline’s creditors backed a restructure plan from ANA and Japanese private equity fund Integral.

A second A380 order was confirmed on January 28 as part of Iran Air’s fleet modernisation program which included all of Airbus’s passenger aircraft lineup. In an agreement covering 118 aircraft, Airbus said Iran Air agreed to acquire 12 A380s alongside 27 A330ceo family aircraft, 18 A330-900neos and 16 A350-1000s. The airline also planned to take 21 A320ceo family and 24 A320neo family narrowbodies.

The deal was signed in Paris during Iranian president Hassan Rouhani’s visit to France with French president François Hollande. “I am very proud of all the Airbus teams who quickly mobilised to propose the agreements and make them happen,” Bregier said in a statement.

The Iran Air order was made possible after the United States and European Union lifted sanctions against Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the country had cut its nuclear program.

In July 2015, Iran committed to reduce its nuclear materials and open itself up to independent inspections as part of talks with six global powers in return for the decades-long economic sanctions being lifted.

Hobart Airport masterplan Approved

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss has approved the latest masterplan for Hobart Airport.

Central to the plan, under which the airport maps out how it will address forecast passenger growth over the next 20 years, is the planned extension of the airport’s runway (12/30) to 2,751 metres.

“Approval of this plan allows for the construction of the proposed 500-metre runway extension, to which the Australian Government is contributing $38 million,” Minister Truss said in a December 23 statement. “The runway extension will further build on Hobart and Australia’s ability to support our Antarctic operations. It will also provide new opportunities for direct international flights to South- East Asia, creating opportunities for the growth of both tourism markets and freight exports.”

Construction of the runway extension has a total project cost of $40 million and also involves the relocation of navaids, the construction of jet blast walls, and the extension of the airport’s HIAL (high intensity aviation lighting). Associated road works include the closure of Surf Road and the construction of Grueber Avenue. Final go-ahead of the runway extension is subject to Minister Truss approving a Major Development Plan for the project, which is currently undergoing community consultation prior to being submitted early this year, Hobart Airport said.

Hobart Airport accommodated 2.18 million passengers in the 2015 financial year, a figure forecast to grow to 2.6 million by 2020. As well as the runway extension the airport recently began work on a $25 million terminal redevelopment. The masterplan must now be made available to the public within

RAAF’s first PC‑21 pilots begin conversion Training

The first Australian pilots to undertake conversion training on the Pilatus PC-21 pilot training aircraft recently arrived in Switzerland, the RAAF has announced.

These pilots will form the transition team responsible for the development of the new training curriculum and simulators that are being acquired under the AIR 5428 Pilot Training System project, the contract for which has been awarded to the Lockheed Martin-led Team 21.

The PC-21 is set to replace the PC-9/A and CT-4B, and primarily will be based at RAAF Base East Sale and RAAF Base Pearce.

“The capabilities of the PC‑21 make it ideally suited to a very wide training envelope,” the RAAF stated on January 18. “It can be used from day one in the training system, eliminating the need for an elementary flying training fleet, but also bridges the performance gap between traditional turboprop trainers and lead-in fighters.”

Air Force stated that of the 49 PC-21s Australia is acquiring, 42 are destined for the Pilot Training System along with seven flight training devices, with three to be allocated to the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU), and a further four for Forward Air Control with 4 Squadron.

The first AIR 5428 aircraft and simulators are expected to be delivered in mid-2017, with the first pilot training course to begin in 2019.

RAAF F/A-18Fs make Red Flag debut

The RAAF has sent the F/A‑18F Super Hornet to Exercise Red Flag for the first time, part of a deployment of 14 aircraft to the US Air Force-run air combat simulation exercise.

Six 1 Squadron Super Hornets, six 75 Squadron F/A-18A ‘classic’ Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail and an AP-3C Orion have all deployed to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada for Exercise Red Flag 16-1, which began on January 19 and was due to run through until February 13.

In all 410 Australian personnel are taking part in Red Flag, including an air battle management contingent from 41 Wing, in one of the RAAF’s largest overseas exercise deployments in recent memory.

Led by OC 81 Wing GPCAPT Phil Gordon, the deployment is the RAAF’s first major exercise of 2016 and will comprise an intense twoweek campaign of day and night missions against real target sets and adversary-representative fighters, and high fidelity electronic and air defence systems over the Nevada Test & Training Range.

“Day and night-time missions at Red Flag will require large numbers of aircraft to work together to complete the assigned mission across a variety of roles. The threats they face range from aggressor F-15 and F-16 fighters and simulated surface to air missile engagements, through to electronic warfare and cyberspace attacks,” GPCAPT Gordon said in a statement.

“It provides the ultimate environment in which our Air Force personnel can showcase their extraordinary abilities in a deployed scenario.”

Second batch of RAAF P-8As ordered

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Boeing a US$2.47 billion contract for the manufacture of 20 Boeing P-8A Posedion aircraft, covering 16 aircraft for the US Navy and four for the RAAF.

The Lot III P-8A full-rate production contract, which was announced by the US DoD on January 28, states that the “contract combines purchase for the Navy ($2,052,571,034; 83 per cent) and the government of Australia ($417,011,961; 17 per cent) under a cooperative agreement”. The contract option also provides for efforts related to obsolescence monitoring, change assessment, and integrated baseline/program management reviews.

The acquisition of the first four P-8As for the RAAF was covered by a Lot II full-rate production contract that was awarded in August last year.

The first P-8As for the RAAF are currently in production, with the first aircraft due to roll out later this year and be delivered to Australia in early 2017; all eight are expected in service by 2021.

The Australian government announced approval of the RAAF’s acquisition of eight P-8As, with options on a further four, in February 2014. The extra maritime surveillance aircraft for the RAAF are being considered as part of the forthcoming Defence White Paper. Meanwhile, Boeing has been selected to provide the RAAF with maintenance training devices for the P-8A, marking the first international sale of equipment used by the US Navy.

The virtual trainers, which are being purchased through a cooperative program, will be used to train maintenance personnel from early 2018. The maintenance training devices provide interactive, high-fidelity simulations based on actual mission systems software, while hardware-based trainers are full-scale replicas of aircraft components, the company stated on February 3.

“This provides the RAAF with the ability to train its maintainers on more than 1,400 maintenance procedures using the Boeingprovided suite of devices,” said Tom Wagner, P-8 maintenance program manager at Boeing. “RAAF maintainers will be able to practise at great length before they are required to perform maintenance on the actual P-8A aircraft.”

Boeing announced in May last year that it would be providing the RAAF with a complete training system for the maritime patrol aircraft that utilises simulators to train pilots and mission crews to operate the aircraft, and its sensors, communications and weapons systems.

The company said it plans to start delivering the training system in 2018.

Gold Coast ILS project approved

Gold Coast Airport has received the green light to install an Instrument Landing System (ILS) as part of efforts to reduce the number of missed approaches, diversions and delays due to weather.

The ILS, which assists pilots on equipped aircraft with a precise radio navigation aid, will be installed for flights landing from the north on Runway 14, which the airport has said previously is the direction about two-thirds of all flights land.

Construction was expected to be completed in 2017, in time for the city’s hosting of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Currently, Gold Coast was the only airport among Australia’s top 12 busiest airports that currently did not have an ILS. The airport has the satellite-based landing system Required Navigation Performance (RNP), as well as High Intensity Runway Edge Lighting (HIRL) installed in 2012.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said there had been an average of 50 diversions a year at the south-east Queensland airport due to weather, in addition to “many more missed approaches and aircraft that never left their port of origin due to the forecast weather conditions at the Gold Coast”.

“The ILS will help to reduce diversions, aircraft circling, missed approaches and flight cancellations in poor weather conditions,” Truss said in a statement on January 25.

“This will reduce the inconvenience and impost on passengers, airlines, airport retail businesses, transport operators and other stakeholders due to flight disruptions.”

While the new system was expected to improve the airport’s operational performance, Truss noted the concerns of locals who fear extra aircraft noise given the aircraft would need to make a longer approach from the north when the ILS was in use.

To that end, Airservices has been advised to “make every effort to minimise the use of the ILS while meeting air safety requirements”, Truss said. The Minister added the ILS was expected to be used for “no more than 10 per cent of the time” on fine weather days and when Runway 14 was in use. And there would be no change to Gold Coast Airport’s 2300 to 0600 curfew.

“No additional residents will be exposed to noise levels greater than 60dB(A) in these conditions. By way of reference, 60dB(A) is roughly equivalent to the noise level of normal conversation and 70dB(A) is similar to the noise of a nearby passing car,” Truss said.

“Maximum use of the ILS will occur on extremely bad weather days when runway 14 is in use, which is around 10 days per year.

“I expect Airservices to work collaboratively with the Airport, airline industry and community in designing Noise Abatement Procedures which prioritise RNP and other existing approach procedures above the ILS.

“The majority of arrivals to Gold Coast Airport are from ports to the south. For these aircraft, the existing visual and instrument approaches are shorter and require less fuel and will continue to be preferred.”

Also, Truss said the airport’s most frequent users were “committed to continue using current approach procedures to help minimise aircraft noise impacts, unless an ILS approach is specifically required”.

The airport currently handled about six million passengers a year, with the number expected to rise to 16.3 million by 2031. Gold Coast Airport chief operating officer Marion Charlton welcomed the federal government’s decision.

“The introduction of the ILS forms part of Gold Coast Airport’s platform for contributing to the economic prosperity of the Gold Coast, south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales regions for decades to come,” Charlton said in a statement.

“We want to thank all of our stakeholders who have contributed to the Major Development Plan and we look forward to working with all of them as the project moves into the implementation phase.”

While there had been some opposition to the ILS from local residents, Gold Coast Airport said independent research from JWS Research found the project was supported by the majority of the community.

Gold Coast Airport said 74 per cent of residents backed the introduction of the ILS, while 65 per cent of those living under the flight path area also approved the project.

“Only 15 per cent of residents oppose the ILS, including just 23 per cent who live in the new flight path area,” Gold Coast Airport said.

Truss said there would be a 12 to 18-month post-implementation review after the ILS was commissioned covering noise monitoring and reporting. The Minister also “strongly encouraged” Gold Coast Airport to be “alert to further technological advancements” such as Ground- Based Augmentation System, “should they become available for implementation using a curved approach over water to the airport.”

Airservices said it was reinstating a previous flight path for flights taking off to the south at Gold Coast Airport’s Runway 14, after a 12-month trial of a new flight path “did not deliver the intended noise improvement for residents”.

“The noise monitoring data demonstrated that the actual noise improvement of 1-1.8 decibels delivered by the changed flight path was not a noticeable level for the human ear,” Airservices said in a statement.

Airnorth to Melbourne and Cairns from Wellcamp

Darwin-based Airnorth will expand out of Northern Australia for the first time when it commences daily services from Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport to Melbourne from March.

The flights will be operated by Airnorth’s 76-seat Embraer E170 jets from March 14, with new threetimes- weekly Wellcamp-Cairns services to begin at the same time.

“This initiative provides a muchneeded direct link for residents of Toowoomba and surrounding regions to Melbourne and Cairns for both business and leisure travellers alike,”Airnorth chief executive Daniel Bowden said in a statement on December 24.

“The new flights will also allow passengers from the Toowoomba region to easily connect onto international and other domestic services via Cairns or Melbourne.”

Ticket sales began for the two new flights in January. The new Melbourne and Cairns flights will take to three the number of major domestic destinations served from Wellcamp after QantasLink commenced services from Sydney to the newly-opened airport in November 2014. “We have had overwhelming support from within our region and we can now offer weekday and weekend getaways to three of Australia’s most popular destinations,” Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport general manager Phil Gregory said in a statement.

“We are also confident we will continue the growth of the visiting friends and relatives market as more people will have direct access into the region.”

Perth Airport looking for new CEO

Perth Airport is in the market for a new chief executive after announcing incumbent Brad Geatches will leave the company on July 1.

Geatches has been chief executive of Perth Airport for the past nine years, during which time the airport has delivered $1.1 billion worth of capital expenditure improvements highlighted by the opening of the new Terminal 1 Domestic Pier in November.

It has also been a period of enormous growth at the airport, with the number of aircraft movements rising 31 per cent and passenger numbers swelling 52 per cent thanks to the mining boom and an increased number of international services.

However, construction on new T1 Domestic Pier, which cost $300 million, was delayed by 12 months due to the complexity of the project and some problems with steel purchased by the builders. Geatches said the past nine years had been both “very challenging and enjoyable”.

“I feel privileged to have worked with such a great team of professional people and contractors, to deliver a capital investment program that has transformed Perth

Air NZ to equip ATR fleet with RNP Technology

Air New Zealand plans to install its fleet of ATR turboprops with RNP (Required Navigation Performance) technology at a

cost of NZ$25 million. The Star Alliance carrier will become the first ATR operator to use RNP, which allows aircraft to fly along predefined precision-guided routes with the aid of GPS.

In practical terms, this means pilots trained for RNP can fly at lower altitudes and along more efficient routes in low visibility conditions, saving fuel and emissions, as well as minimising potential delays due to bad weather.

The technology has benefited airports such as Queenstown, helping boost capacity and reduce delays. Air NZ said on February 4 the first ATR with RNP capability was expected to take to the skies in 2018, following certification and regulatory approval.

“This technology will enable us to provide a more consistent service for customers who travel on our ATR aircraft where weather conditions can at times prove challenging for our turboprop operations, particularly over the winter months,” Air NZ chief flight operations and safety officer Captain David Morgan said in a statement.

In November, Air NZ placed a fresh order for 15 ATR 72‑600 turboprops, with 11 frames to replace its existing ATR 72-500 fleet and four for growth on regional routes. The order would make Air NZ the third-largest operator of ATR turboprops in the world.

Air NZ’s Christchurchbased subsidiary Mount Cook Airline operates the aircraft on both regional routes and on some off-peak flights