Company Watch - Air New Zealand

Airguide Online, August 27, 2007

Aug 27, 2007

Air New Zealand is expected to announce a further refinement of its domestic product at its Aug. 28 annual result conferenc. New Zealanders enjoy consistently low fares, often starting from NZ$59 on major trunk flights between Christchurch and Wellington. Aug 24, 2007

Air New Zealand reported a 6.7% year-over-year growth in July passenger numbers and an 11.4% rise in RPKs to 1.4 billion. Load factor was up 6.2 points to 82.2% and yield increased 0.2%. Aug 24, 2007

Air New Zealand is set to announce a new lower-cost, higher-value domestic product next Tuesday when it announces its fiscal-year results. The indication came yesterday in a press release issued in response to Virgin Blue's announcement that it will launch New Zealand domestic services within 12 months. Air New Zealand Group GM-Shorthaul Airline Norm Thompson said: "Since Air New Zealand announced several months ago that it had a significant review of its domestic operations underway that were expected to yield the next evolution in the travel experience within New Zealand, we have heard murmurings of competitors bringing forward their launch plans." He added that ANZ "remain[s] confident that the initiatives we will unveil at our annual result. . .will herald a new era for low-cost, efficient and comfortable domestic air travel." Aug 22, 2007

Air New Zealand struck back at Auckland International Airport's proposed landing charge hike by announcing that it intends to move some domestic flights to Whenuapai Airbase in West Auckland. Plans call for a move within five years, but the current occupier, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, said it plans to stay at the base for eight. Whenuapai has three runways but only one, at 2,031 m., suitable for commercial flights. It has capacity for 200,000 flights per year and can handle 737/A320 and 767/A330 equipment, but the main runway could be extended to handle 747s if an expanded role was considered. The base is located closer to central Auckland than AKL and is adjacent to major motorways. Various reports indicated it could handle up to 20% of Auckland's domestic airline traffic by 2015 without any international feed. Aug 23, 2007

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