Air NZ takes delivery of its first new Airbus

By CHRIS DANIELS aviation writer

New Zealand was the toast of Toulouse, France, yesterday with the handover of Air New Zealand's first new Airbus aircraft.

Members of the London-based Ngati Ranana Maori cultural group performed a karakia and blessing of the new plane.

The 146-seat aircraft is the first Airbus bought by Air New Zealand, which has until now been a firm member of the Boeing camp. The airline is buying five planes and leasing a further 10 for about $800 million. The planes will replace the airline's fleet of Boeing 767s and some of its 737s.

At yesterday's handover, Airbus commercial head John Leahy said the purchase of the new A320 would be the start of a new chapter for Air New Zealand, one of the very few world airlines that did not have Airbus aircraft.

He said Airbus had been "courting Air New Zealand for some time".

Leahy would no doubt be thinking of the Air New Zealand programme for replacing its long-haul aircraft, a potentially multi-billion-dollar deal that is being fiercely contested between the European company and Boeing.

Air NZ is expected to decide before the end of the year which of the planes to buy.

The plane is now on a five-day delivery flight, travelling from Toulouse to Canada, Los Angeles, Hawaii and Samoa, before arriving in Auckland on Sunday afternoon. Pilots are planning a low-altitude fly-past over Auckland's East Coast Bays before landing at Auckland International Airport.

Buying new planes like the Airbus A320 is a crucial part of Air New Zealand's strategy for the Tasman and Pacific routes. It says the new plane is 15 per cent cheaper to run, allowing it to cut fares and increase its frequency of flights. Air NZ will also take advantage of the plane's advertising and marketing potential - it has a new interior featuring leather seats - by using it to help promote its new Tasman Express service, which begins on October 29.

Chief executive Ralph Norris said the plane would give the airline new capabilities in terms of range, passenger and cargo carrying capacity, seat and cabin configurations, and in-flight service. It would also expand the airline's engineering and technical capability.

Air NZ engineers, in a joint venture with engine maker Pratt & Whitney, will service the IAE V2500 engines at their Christchurch centre. This will allow Air NZ to earn money from other airlines in the Asia-Pacific region that use the engines.

* Chris Daniels travelled to Toulouse as a guest of Air New Zealand and Airbus.