Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has launched a defence of his management team's performance after issuing a grim profit warning and slashing jobs.

Emirates has launched the world's longest Airbus A380 non-stop service, flying the double decker plane from Dubai to Los Angeles.

Virgin Australia will go ahead with its A$350 million ($388 million) equity-raising after the Australian Takeovers Panel rejected a complaint about the plan.

Jetstar New Zealand head Grant Kerr is used to rolling with the punches.

The fight over Air New Zealand and two other airlines taking a bigger stake in Virgin Australia is intensifying with the deal now in line for further regulatory scrutiny.

Infratil, the Wellington-based infrastructure investor, has sold its unprofitable Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the Scottish government for 1 British pound (NZ$1.98).

Among the many things Warren Buffett is famous for is his view that airlines are a lousy investment. Just last May, he was at it again.

Air New Zealand says its group wide yields, after removing foreign exchange impacts, were up by 1.9 per cent in October.

China Southern Airlines is putting on extra Dreamliner flights to Auckland to meet high demand over Chinese New Year.

Market players say they are surprised at the drop in Air New Zealand's share price in the wake of the Government's 20 per cent sell-down.

The world's largest passenger plane will live to fight another day. Airbus's A380 superjumbo got a fresh 50-jet order from Emirates Airline.

Air New Zealand has frequently been a political football for politicians of all stripes.

The Government has made $365 million from selling down its 20 per cent stake in Air New Zealand after pricing the shares at $1.65 a piece.

Auckland aviation business Airwork is being tipped to announce plans to list on the share market tomorrow morning.

Qantas has launched a scathing attack on the stake that Air NZ have built in Virgin Australia. Grant Bradley looks at why it's got the Flying Roo in a such a flap.

Bill English has thrown the Opposition a curve-ball as they ready themselves for their unofficial three-week campaign to maximise the "no" vote in the referendum on partial asset sales.

Qantas has launched an attack on Air NZ's commercial strategy behind its investment in Virgin - saying it's a foreign bid to destabilise Australian aviation market.

According to the Labour Party leader, David Cunliffe, the timing of the Government's selldown of shares in Air New Zealand is arrogant.

The price for the Government's Air NZ sell-down is likely to be set close to $1.65 - the price it last traded at on the sharemarket, according to sources close to the deal.

Strong demand for the Air NZ share selldown is expected, but one broker says most will be coming from the bigger institutional investors.

The Government will sell 20 per cent of its stake in Air New Zealand today and tomorrow. The Herald tells you the 11 things you need to know.

Business editor Liam Dann on why the Air NZ share sale is a very different prospect from the SOE partial privatisations.