Air New Zealand Looks at Replacing Domestic Fleet

Mike W · #1 26th March 2009, 06:34 AM

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/indu...domestic-fleet

Quote:

Air New Zealand is expected to start replacing its domestic Boeing 737-300 fleet in the next two years at a cost of up to $2.2 billion.

Competition from Pacific Blue and Jetstar using new, larger, more comfortable and more fuel-efficient planes is putting pressure on the airline to upgrade its older planes.

Industry sources said Air NZ was looking at the bigger Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737-800 flown by Pacific Blue and Jetstar.

Airline spokesman Mark Street said Airbus and Boeing had been asked for information on several aircraft options.

Air NZ's 16 Boeing 737s have an average age of 11 years and are nearing the end of their service life, he said. Leases on 11 of the planes expire over a five-year period from 2011. Air NZ owns the other five.

Goes on...

I find this interesting but also doubt the seriousness of it as well. This is due to the fact the 733s are indeed still relatively young (av. age only 11 years and the last built) plus they've just picked up in the last year or two another 3 second hand examples. Bearing these in mind, I'm thinking that it will be a good while before replacements join the fleet and then there's the Zeal thing as well... My pick is that they will extend leases.

Dave Dale · #2 26th March 2009, 01:25 PM

My first post on here, but as a frequent domestic flyer of Air New Zealand, I would like to see them replaced with either the 737-700/800 aircraft. I am not a big fan of their A320's that do their pacific/Tasman routes.

Michael Dawson · #3 26th March 2009, 05:02 PM

It would make sense for Air NZ to go with a boeing fleet considering they would have a lot of spares and tooling already used on the current Boeing fleet, they would also have the tooling etc for the Airbus but it depends on what will give them the better return at the end of the day and who can deliver first.

Regards

Michael

Michael Morrison · #4 26th March 2009, 05:54 PM

They could go wither way I guess as their A320 leases also start coming up soon. ie they could easily switch to all 32S or 737/8

Al.B.SYD · #5 27th March 2009, 04:50 AM

If ever there was a market for the E90/E70 type of aircraft, it's N.Z. domestic, so am surprised to see Embraer weren't asked to provide information for options like Boeing and Airbus were.

Then again, the Boeing/Airbus options give them the scope to use them domestically as well as Trans-Tas and shorter haul Sth Pac routes.