Air New Zealand has recently confirmed that trans-Tasman services will be reduced below current levels due to lessening demand in the current difficult economic climate. Current weekly services out of Dunedin include two services to Sydney and two to Brisbane. Only days after announcing the suspension of the sole remaining trans-Tasman service out of Hamilton, Air New Zealand has decided ...

Jetstar has launched a multi-million dollar advertising campaign in New Zealand in support of its newly announced domestic services between Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown, which are intended to commence on 10 June 2009. The Jetstar campaign will feature Australian comedian and radio personality Dave “Hughesy” Hughes, who recently visited Auckland for filming of the campaign’s television commercial. Jetstar’s chief executive ...

In news from HAI’s Heli Expo in California, Rolls Royce is forecasting a market “characterised by near-term softness followed by a resumption of growth,” and predicts that in the next ten years, there will be more than 15,000 turbine helicopters delivered. This represents a slight increase a slight increase in the company’s February 2008 market forecast. The value of the 15,000 ...

As a result of the media “feeding frenzy” regarding business aviation in the USA, manufacturers are endeavouring to present a more balanced picture in the press. The highly publicised arrival by multiple business jets of major auto-manufacturer representatives at a hearing seeking a massive publicly funded bail-out, resulted in what has been labeled as a “knee-jerk” reaction by President Obama’s ...

By Rob Neil. Ever since I first saw it described in the 1989–90 edition of Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, I have lusted continuously after the Extra Aircraft EA300. The thought of flying an aircraft with a climb rate of around 3,200 feet a minute, stressed to ±10 g and capable of rolling at 400 degrees a second, set my heart ...

Embraer has become the latest major manufacturer to announce a “revision to its cost structure and workforce, adjusting them to the new reality of demand for commercial and executive aircraft” in response to the global financial situation. Embraer, which is headquartered in Brazil, depends primarily on export markets and on global economic performance; more than 90 percent of its revenue is ...

An increasing number of aviation companies are laying off staff in an effort to cope with the challenges of the current economic situation. In November 2008, Cessna notified 500 employees they were to be laid off and a further 50 staff accepted a buy-out package. Those layoffs have only just taken effect and Cessna has recently laid off a further ...

By Don Harward. Sometimes, we do things that make us wonder why we ever did them in the first place. Sometimes, we keep doing them for a long time—maybe even a lifetime. One such thing is the way I’ve been tucking the same old folded dollar in my wallet just behind my FAA pilot licence for many years. I know you ...

XFLIGHT’s Excellent Extra The Extra 300 used to be a regular competitor in the now famous Red Bull Air Races. New Zealand aviators and thrill seekers can now experience the thrill of an Extra 300 flight with Auckland’s XFLIGHT, as Rob Neil reports. Air Safaris—Southern Scenic Supremacy: Part I Air Safaris’ story is too big and interesting to tell in a single instalment. ...