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Wirraway
28th Jan 2004, 00:26
Wed "Sydney Morning Herald"

Air NZ poised for global expansion
By Scott Rochfort
January 28, 2004

Air New Zealand announced the first expansion of its international network in eight years yesterday, the strongest indication yet the airline is contemplating life without its proposed $NZ550 million ($475 million) alliance with Qantas.

After yesterday unveiling plans to fly tri-weekly between Auckland and San Francisco from June 30, Air NZ chief executive Ralph Norris said the carrier would look to expand to other international destinations - particularly in Asia - once it replaced its ageing fleet of nine Boeing 767-300ERs over the next three years.

Mr Norris said Air NZ could even resume the direct services between Sydney and Los Angeles it suspended last April.

"That's something that is always a possibility," he said. "Obviously we'll assess that against other opportunities."

Air NZ presently flies 14 B747-400 services to Los Angeles each week from Auckland.

With Air NZ and Qantas still appealing the rejection of their alliance by competition regulators, Mr Norris also appeared to soften his stance of last June when he said future state intervention was "likely to be inevitable" if Qantas was barred from taking a 22.5 per cent stake in the NZ airline.

Following the collapse of Ansett in September 2001, Air NZ was saved with a $NZ885 million bailout package from the New Zealand Government, which still retains a 71 per cent stake.

"There is no doubt that the company is a stronger company than it was 18 months ago," Mr Norris said yesterday.

Since the launch last October of the airline's four-year restructuring plan - to cut its 10,000 work force by 15 per cent and save $NZ245 million in costs each year by 2007 - Mr Norris said Air NZ had already cut 30 per cent of the jobs from its "top three levels" of management, around 30 jobs.

In the next step of its restructure, Air NZ is expected to hand out redundancy slips to around 20 per cent of its 350 middle-management work force in late February.

"At the end of the calendar year we'd like to be well down the track," Mr Norris said.

In the lead-up to Pacific Blue's entry to the trans-Tasman market tomorrow, Mr Norris said Air NZ had lifted its number of passengers on the route by 15 per cent since it launched its no-frills Tasman Express service last August, but had already lost market share given that total capacity on the route - with Qantas and Emirates being the main rivals - had risen 35 per cent.

Meanwhile, Pacific Blue gained the final go-ahead from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority to fly across the Tasman yesterday, after completing its first "proving" flight between Christchurch and Brisbane.

But Pacific Blue chief executive Tony Marks declined to say when or if the carrier would start to fly domestic routes in NZ or even start to flights to Auckland, noting: "Competitively we notice that other airlines rapidly change their prices and schedules when we enter the market." Mr Marks said the Virgin Blue offshoot was considering several options.

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1279shp
28th Jan 2004, 11:56
Air NZ chief executive Ralph Norris said the carrier would look to expand to other international destinations - particularly in Asia - once it replaced its ageing fleet of nine Boeing 767-300ERs over the next three years

Replaced with what? Hmmmm A330's?? :ok: Or a Boeing product?
:suspect:

Lindstrim
28th Jan 2004, 17:51
Personally I hope that it is a Boeing product. Much longer tradition in building planes. Plus I don't like the look of the Airbus models in Air NZ colours.

Lindstrim

HotDog
28th Jan 2004, 19:04
Plus I don't like the look of the Airbus models in Air NZ colours.
Poor didums, I'm sure it'll be a Boeing in that case.:rolleyes:

nzer
29th Jan 2004, 15:45
What is an 'ageing" airliner?? - I guess in reality you can describe every aeropolane as "ageing" from the initial date of delivery - however the article quoted refers to the "ageing B767-300 ER" fleet at ANZ. The oldest aircraft is S/N 24876, delivered new in 1992, the latest is S/N 30586, delivered in 2000 - 12 years old is hardly "ageing" for airliners designed for a 30 year in service life!! I imagine the QF -300 fleet age is of a similar span of years?

1279shp
29th Jan 2004, 15:55
Yep, gotta agree the 320 looks a bit dumpy with the waves and koru!

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/432615/M/

but then again so does the 1900!

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/323235/M/