Malaysia Airlines rethinks NZ pullout

By SCOTT MacLEOD

Plans for Malaysia Airlines to pull out of New Zealand have been shelved while managers look again at their sums.

The airline had planned to stop flying here in March as part of its response to the September 11 terror attacks, but some of its staff have been told there will be a short reprieve.

A spokeswoman at the airline's Adelaide office yesterday said the date had been extended by an unknown amount of time.

"It looks like flights will be departing for at least all of March," she said. "Whether or not the flights will continue long term we're not quite sure."

The airline's acting NZ general manager, Richard Fletcher, said he was waiting for firm details on what would happen.

It seemed that changes in global aviation had made NZ more viable for his airline, because many travellers were opting for destinations closer to home.

"We're certainly making plans to continue servicing New Zealand, but we have no details about the level of service or aircraft."

Malaysia Airlines flies three Boeing 747-400 jets into NZ each week, which equals up to 1200 passengers each way.

It has had a base in NZ for 13 years, and employs 26 staff here.

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