Air NZ announcement
 

This happened today if you haven't already seen it

http://i.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/630...l-network-cuts

ATR 42 on the cards you think?

Eagle getting shut down?

Was just on the news that they are shutting Eagle by middle of 2016, they are hoping to redeploy some staff. They have also ordered and extra four 68 seat aircraft which I assume are ATR's.

So any idea what this means for link recruitment in the next few years? Doesn't look positive. :{

no I think a lower cost operator will come in & work in with NZ like Vincent used to.

Very unlikely - for three destinations?????????? Because in reality that's all you're talking about

Deadcut probably not good considering they'll have to retrain all the current Eagle pilots

Chris Luxton said on the news today that there are 130 eagle pilots. He also said that they will be going from 11 mid sized turbo props to 24 . So the question for Eagle pilots is " How many crews are needed to fly the extra 13 aircraft ?
I think it probably looks pretty good for Eagle crews unless they are based somewhere that is closing and don't want to move.

I believe 10 pilots per aircraft so an extra 130

More C208s for certain operators to fill the void? A prime opportunity for them

10 pilots per aircraft? WTF, these aren't doing long haul you know

I would concur. Between the growth of Cook and a slight trickle of recruitment to the jet fleet resuming (my guess) late 2015, I would see sufficient opportunities at Mt. Cook (and with movement Air Nelson also) to absorb all those pilots prepared to live in the main centres.

Part of this was misleading. Air NZ already have 16 ATR's so it would only be 8 to bring it up to 24 Total. 11 was the number the airline had before any of the -600's arrived

-Min 10 pair of crew per airframe (20 pilots) for Long'aul and for Regional ops = 6 pair (+/- depending if have all-night ops)... rough gauge on numbers for you. Good luck.

Happy landings :ok:

Rumour mill is that they will have to reapply for their positions within the regional fleet.
Doesn't mean an automatic upgrade to an ATR or Dash.

Mood was pretty sour in Kaitaia today with the announcement. Can only imagine what the Whakatane people are thinking.

See here . I don't think Eagle require quite the same number of pilots per plane when their aircraft fly on average 4:35 per day compared to 7:10 of the others Turbos!!!

So with the B1900s gone, how does that affect future recruitment experience requirements when there are no more of the smaller planes for pilots with no multi time to build experience on in the Links? ok, so they have taken some onto the Q300 and ATR already, but in bulk in the future?

ZKSUJ is correct.

Initital fleet was 11. 7 firm orders & 5 options for ATR72-600's. Since then 2 options have been made firm.

This announcement confirms the last 3 options and 1 extra firm order.

Recruitment for the first 6 -600's is probably complete as 5 have been delivered and the next one is only 7-8 weeks away. Therefore recruitment for 7 aircraft required plus any natural attrition replacements. Circa 60-80 required, using a more realistic 8-9 pilots per aircraft ratio.

Not everyone at Eagle will be gunning for a move to a main centre, so my guess is that a lot of those affected will be absorbed into Cook/Nelson over the next 2yrs should they wish.

It's a damn shame, the Beech was a great machine to operate, Eagle, for a few downside's was a great company and brilliant people to work with.

Unfortunately, reality bites and another chapter in NZ aviation comes to a close.

Kia Kaha Eagle chums,

S2k

The closing of eagle will be felt all the way down. The next 2-3 years will be stagnant to say the least.

All the best to the eagle staff.

Not just 3 destinations.
 

27/09, it's not just "3 destinations" also canned are direct routes, a few of them e.g. Nelson-Palmy. Interesting timing with Vincent now gone!

air nsn are closing the regional pilot bases too i understand. all pilots will end up in a main centre by the sound of it. may be a few air nsn guys resign/retire out of it.

the cynic in me wonders if luxon is angling for some regional subsidies? let the political fallout and public backlash/media hype come up with the subsidy idea themselves, be a lot more palatable than if the airline held out its hand in the first place. unlikely with the current govt perhaps.

No one builds a 19 seat aircraft anymore because there's no money in it. Beechcraft gave up, when ANZ's aircraft run out of hours they all would have been retired anyway. The days of a dodgy chieftain running on shoestrings are over, the regs and safety just won't allow it.
RIP Eagle, you gave hundreds of guys and girls their first taste of a proper paying airline job.