Air NZ gives Air Nelson a $350m fleet upgrade

By REUBEN SCHWARZ

Air New Zealand will spend $350 million to replace Air Nelson's ageing aircraft.

The first of 17 new Dash-8 Q300 planes will be introduced next July.

One new aircraft will then be imported every six weeks for about two years, replacing the current fleet of Saab 340As.

The planes will be made in Canada by Bombardier.

Air New Zealand will borrow to pay for the purchase for its provincial wing.

Air Nelson general manager John Hambleton said the $20 million Dash-8s were a significant improvement over the Saabs.

He said the 50 seats in the Dash aircraft - 17 more than the Saabs - were needed to meet customer demand created by Air NZ's cheaper tickets and simplified booking system.

"There's been a huge growth generated by the Express products," he said. "[The Dash 8s] will give us the ability to capture that traffic."

The Dash planes would have lower maintenance costs and better fuel efficiency.

"They break even at slightly less seats [sold] than the current planes," Hambleton said.

Air Nelson's current aircraft are, on average, 17 years old.

The new aircraft also boast quieter cabins, larger overhead lockers, and up to 5cm more leg room.

Their higher cruising speed would shave about five minutes off the 1 hour 20 minute Nelson-Auckland flight.