Category: New Zealand Kiwi (Page 3 of 6)

Rex intends to be aerial operator for Australian Antarctic Division

July 15, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Regional Express Group (Rex) has revealed that it has submitted a response to the Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) as a precursor to Rex’s intention to be the next aerial operator of the Australian Antarctic Program.

The Program is the most ambitious ever in AAD’s history and looks at bringing together all the highly specialised aerial operations under one operator’s command. The Program calls for significantly expanded capabilities comprising one large intercontinental passenger jet capability, four intracontinental turbo-prop aircraft able to operate on skis, four twin-engine helicopters which can operate both on land and on the Division’s flagship the RSV Nuyina, plus a significant scaling up of Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) capability for the Division’s operations during the Antarctic Austral Summer (October to March).

Recognising the unique challenges of operating in the Antarctic environment, Rex has assembled an Antarctic Advisory Panel (AAP) comprising the foremost experts in this field with in-depth and practical knowledge of actual aerial operations to the Antarctic as well as design expertise on adapting aerial platforms with skis suitable for landing on unprepared terrain on the Antarctic Continent.

The AAP has guided Rex’s response to the RFI and will spend the next five months preparing the optimal solution ahead of the Request for Tender expected in November this year.

Rex intends to lead a consortium of industry partners that will operate some aspects of the Program that require more specialised expertise.

Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline operating a fleet of 58 Saab 340 and 7 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 57 destinations throughout all states in Australia. In addition to the airline Rex, the Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator), the Australian Airline Pilot organisation, Australian Aerospace Propeller Maintenance. Rex is also a 50% shareholder of National Jet Express (NJE), a premier Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO), charter and freight operator.

Boeing Teams with Canadian Industry to Offer P-8A Poseidon

June 1, 2022 / WIL BALDWIN

Ottawa, Ontario, June 1, 2022 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and several Canadian industry partners announced today their intent to collaborate to provide the capability and sustainability of the proven P-8A Poseidon for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) requirement.

Team Poseidon, consisting of CAE, GE Aviation Canada, IMP Aerospace & Defence, KF Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace Canada and Raytheon Canada, forms the cornerstone of a Canadian P-8 industrial footprint. The team builds on 81 Canadian suppliers to the platform and to more than 550 Canadian suppliers across all provinces contributing to Boeing’s annual CAD $5.3 billion in economic benefit to Canada, supporting more than 20,000 Canadian jobs.

The Boeing P-8A is a proven military off-the-shelf solution with nearly 150 aircraft delivered to five nations to date. The P-8 will improve Canada’s capability to defend its northern and maritime borders while ensuring interoperability with NORAD and NATO allies. As a leading platform for reducing the environmental impact of military aircraft, the P-8 can operate on a 50% blend of sustainable aviation fuel today with aspirations to move toward 100% with investment in new technology.

The P-8A Poseidon offers advanced anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search and rescue capability, and is the only in-service, in-production multi-mission aircraft that meets all CMMA requirements. The P-8 also has the added distinction of strengthening the connection between national security and environmental stewardship.

Having executed more than 450,000 collective mishap free flight-hours, the P-8A Poseidon has proven its capability to operate around the globe in the harshest flight regimes including extended operations in extreme cold weather and icing environments.

Current Boeing P-8 customers include the US Navy, Indian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Republic of Korea Navy and Germany Navy.

Built on the proven 737 Next-Generation airframe, P-8’s 86% commonality with more than 4,000 in-service 737NGs delivers lower life-cycle sustainment costs due to large economies of scale.

Flying Kangaroo to Launch New Flights to Iconic Australia Outback Town

February 9, 2022 / WIL BALDWIN

Qantas (QAN.AX) announced today it will add Broken Hill to its domestic route network for the first time, with the airline to begin direct flights from Sydney starting on April 8, 2022. The airline will operate two weekly round trip flights between Sydney and Broken Hill with its 50-seat Q300 aircraft.

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the service will create stronger connections for the far west of New South Wales for both business and leisure travelers. Broken Hill Regional Council Mayor Tom Kennedy welcomed the announcement of the new Qantas services as they will provide the local community with additional choice and flexibility.

Broken Hill is the newest destination to join QantasLink’s extensive regional network, with the airline now operating flights to 57 regional and rural towns across Australia. With the inclusion, the Group has launched 52 new domestic routes, including many country destinations since the start of the global pandemic, as Australians seek new holiday adventures closer to home.

The flights will operate on a Monday and Friday to offer Broken Hill residents an easy long weekend in the city and allow visitors to make the most out of their outback exploration. Fares will start from $269 one-way, but to celebrate the new destination, Qantas is offering a special sale fare starting from $189 one-way, available for sale until 21 February, unless sold out prior.

QANTAS and Jetstar Airlines Adjust Third Quarter Flight Capacity Settings

January 16, 2022 / WIL BALDWIN

Qantas and Jetstar are adjusting flying levels to better match travel demand in light of the sudden growth in COVID-19 cases. The Qantas Group now expects domestic capacity for the third quarter of FY22 to be at around 70 per cent of pre-COVID levels, down from the 102 per cent that had been planned. The schedule changes are focused on reducing frequency of services and size of aircraft to minimise inconvenience for passengers as much as possible.

The Group’s total international capacity for the same period will fall from 30 per cent to around 20 per cent of pre-COVID levels. This reduction is driven by increased travel restrictions in countries like Japan, Thailand and Indonesia and is mostly impacting Jetstar’s leisure routes. Other markets – such as London, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Johannesburg and India – continue to perform well.

Customers will be contacted directly from late January if their booking is impacted by cancellations and offered alternative flights that in most cases are likely to be a difference of a few hours if travelling domestically.

Qantas and Jetstar continue to have 100 per cent of their available Australian-based crew stood up, which has helped to minimise the resourcing impacts of some needing to self-isolate during the summer peak. This 100 per cent crewing level will be maintained despite the capacity reductions announced today, giving both airlines a significant buffer to manage ongoing isolation requirements and resulting in a more reliable schedule for passengers.

An assessment on the financial impact of these changes will be given at the Group’s half year results in late February, by which time a clearer picture will have emerged on swing factors such as actual demand levels; potential loosening or tightening of travel restrictions in countries overseas; and consumer response to the reopening of Western Australia next month. No material adjustments have been made to capacity expectations for Q4 FY22.

To give customers more confidence when they book international and domestic flights, Qantas has extended Fly Flex, which enables customers to change their travel dates as often as they need, fee-free (a fare difference may apply).

Air New Zealand Receives 1,600th ATR Aircraft Delivery

December 27, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France – In the same month as it celebrated its 40 year anniversary, ATR has reached another impressive milestone in its history, delivering its 1,600th aircraft to national flag carrier, Air New Zealand (OTC: ANZLY). This delivery highlights the enduring strength of the ATR program, providing essential connectivity to communities all over the world. It also proves the value of the ATR 72-600 at serving domestic routes in New Zealand as it is the last of 29 aircraft ordered.

While ties between the two companies initially began some 25 years ago with the delivery of first generation ATR’s, this last decade has seen the forging of closer ties, with the delivery of the 29 dash 600 aircraft and through an important collaboration that enhanced the aircraft’s approach capabilities.

The introduction of the RNP AR 0.3/0.3 feature, part of ATR’s latest Standard 3 avionics suite, helped the airline and its pilots with the accuracy of the approach into Queenstown airport and providing reliable connectivity to the local community, who benefit greatly from ski tourism in the mountainous region.

Sustainability is also a key concern for both airline and manufacturer, with Air New Zealand having chosen the ATR 72-600 for its fleet as it burns 40% less fuel and emits 40% less CO2 than a similarly sized regional jet. This shared commitment to further enhancing eco-efficiency led to an agreement to work together to explore the future of the regional aviation ecosystem, including hybrid aircraft in 2018.

Air New Zealand Outlines Requirements for Low Emissions Turboprop Aircraft

December 20, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

By Jamie Freed – Reuters news…

(Reuters) – Air New Zealand Ltd said on Tuesday it had outlined requirements to suppliers as part of plans to replace its fleet of De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q300 turboprops with lower-emissions technology by around 2030.

“The ideal candidate aircraft will be a drop in replacement for the Q300 for seamless integration into the existing Air New Zealand turboprop network, which may include retrofit of the existing aircraft,” the airline said.

Click the link below to read the full story!

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/air-zealand-outlineshttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/air-zealand-outlines-requirements-low-221729362.html

Eve and Sydney Seaplanes Partner to Bring UAM Services to Australia

December 6, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Melbourne, Florida, December 6, 2021 – Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions (Eve), an Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) company, and Sydney Seaplanes, a leader in the transition to sustainable aviation, today announced a partnership that will lay the foundation for new electric air taxi operations in Greater Sydney. With the partnership, Sydney Seaplanes has placed an order for 50 of Eve’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), with progressive deliveries expected to commence from 2026.

The new partnership accelerates the progress towards 100% of greater Sydney’s local tourism and commuter flights coming from zero emission electric aviation.

Benefitting from a startup mindset and backed by Embraer’s more than 50-year history of aircraft manufacturing and certification expertise, Eve unveils a unique value proposition by positioning itself as an ecosystem partner by offering a suite of products and services with the highest levels of safety standards. Eve’s human-centered, eVTOL design combines disruptive innovation and a simple and intuitive design. In addition to the aircraft program, Eve is harnessing the expertise of both Embraer and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group, in providing globally recognized air traffic management software to create the solutions that will help safely scale the UAM industry going forward.

First Qantas A380 to Land Back in Australia Today

November 9, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

A familiar and hard-to-miss sight will return to Australian skies today with one of the Qantas (OTC: QABSY) iconic A380 aircraft set off to land back in Sydney, 593 days after it departed Australian shores.

Hudson Fysh, named after one of Qantas’ founders, is expected to touch down at Sydney Airport around 3.00pm more than 19 hours after it departed Dresden, Germany. The aircraft recently underwent scheduled maintenance for a new landing gear, after spending the best part of two years in storage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its early return comes as the airline gears up for the first two of the superjumbos to return to service in April 2022, following strong demand for international travel, particularly on key routes to Los Angeles and London.

Qantas has taken close to half a million domestic bookings in the past two weeks, compared with around 20,000 in a two-week period in August.

Jetstar’s recent international sale saw 75,000 seats sold in 72 hours.

Demand for seats on Qantas’ London to Sydney service has been extremely strong, with Aussies reuniting with family and friends in time for Christmas and more flights added as a result.

Originally expected to remain in long term storage in the Californian desert until the end of 2023, Qantas has since announced that five A380s with upgraded cabins would return ahead of schedule with two to operate flights to Los Angeles from April 2022 and three to operate flights to London from November 2022.

The airline is now working to further accelerate the return of the A380s, with superjumbo flights to London brought forward to July 2022. In addition, a sixth aircraft will arrive before the end of calendar year 2022, with the remaining four A380s expected to return to service by early 2024.

Hudson Fysh will undergo additional maintenance checks in Australia before taking to the skies again in coming weeks as part of crew training.

KiwiRail Leases Additional Ferry to Boost Interislander Service

November 6, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

KiwiRail has leased an additional freight ferry to provide capacity and resilience on Cook Strait, KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller announced today. The Valentine is completing technical due diligence in England now, ahead of sailing to New Zealand. It is due to arrive in mid-December and Interislander crews will familiarize themselves with the ship before Valentine begins working the Cook Strait, likely later in December.

Mr Miller said the Interislander fleet is aging and more prone to breakdown. “Old ships tend to have mechanical problems and this has been highlighted with the current mechanical issues on Aratere. While she has now resumed service, we know that disruption is bad for us and our customers.

The Valentine is being leased for an initial 12 months. Valentine has been working in the English Channel and is well-suited to KiwiRail operations.

Mr Miller says the move shows KiwiRail’s determination to support the movement of essential supplies in New Zealand through increased capacity, collaboration, and improving scheduling and resource planning.

All Rex Airlines Frontline Staff Now Vaccinated

November 1, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Rex today announced all frontline staff on duty have now been fully vaccinated against COVID- 19, the first airline in Australia to reach this milestone. The several hundred vaccinated staff include pilots, flight attendants, customer service officers at airports and all other workers across the Rex domestic and regional networks who may need to interact with passengers face-to-face.

Company-wide, 93 percent of all Rex staff have either been double vaccinated or received their first dose.

Rex reopens its domestic network on November 15 with the resumption of flights from Melbourne to Sydney and Canberra. Melbourne – Adelaide flights restart on November 26, while flights to the Gold Coast from Sydney and Melbourne begin on December 17.

The airline’s unique Refund Guarantee Policy also protects the financial health of passengers from any COVID-related disruptions.

Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline operating a fleet of 60 Saab 340 and six Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 61 destinations throughout all states in Australia. In addition to the airline Rex, the Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator) and the two pilot academies, Australian Airline Pilot Academy in Wagga Wagga and Ballarat.

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