Air officials find report puzzling

By Yoke Har Lee

Civil aviation authorities are bemused by reports that Qantas has registered aircraft in New Zealand as a precursor to taking over Ansett New Zealand or launching its own domestic services here.

Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Martyn Gosling said: "We have not received anything from Qantas."

The National Business Review has echoed an earlier Australian Financial Review report which said Qantas had taken steps to reserve places for six Boeing 737s in New Zealand. This was subsequently denied by Qantas.

A spokesman for the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Peter Gibson, said Qantas would simply have to take off any existing aircraft from the Australian register if it was preparing to move them elsewhere. He was not aware of any such move.

For several years, it has been speculated that Qantas will enter the New Zealand market by buying into Ansett New Zealand.

But Qantas has not been able to agree on price with News Corp, Ansett New Zealand's owner.

The latest effort to find a new owner for Ansett New Zealand is being undertaken by merchant banker Clavell Capital. It is putting together a consortium of investors to make an offer to News Corp.

David Belcher, managing director of Clavell, would say only that the process was continuing.