Dec 20, 2017  -  Eagle Australasia has been selected by BLR Aerospace as exclusive dealer for BLR products in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, the company announced on 15 December.

Eagle will represent BLR products in these markets, including the FastFin system for the Bell 204, 205, 212, 412 and UH-1 model helicopters; as well as the Dual Tailboom Strakes for the Bell 206 series, including the Bell PH-58 and Agusta Bell models.

The FastFin tail rotor enhancement and stability system is designed to provide improved OGE loads, enhance productivity and improve stability during hover operations to reduce pilot workload and fatigue.

The Dual Tailboom Strakes are developed for single-rotor helicopters with enclosed tailbooms. They work by organising and controlling rotorwash, reducing undesired sideways lift on the left side of the tailboom and reducing turbulence under the tailboom.

| A Shephard release  ||  December 20, 2017   |||

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AirMap has joined forces with Airways New Zealand to deploy an unmanned traffic management system that enables safe and compliant drone flights for a three-month trial in the Canterbury and Queenstown regions of New Zealand.

Drone flights in New Zealand are growing exponentially. Over the past three years, weekly recorded drone flights in the country's controlled airspace have increased 20-fold. As drones take off in increasing numbers, unmanned traffic management (UTM) technology will allow them to integrate safely with New Zealand's national airspace system.

The Airways-AirMap trial brings digital authorization capabilities first deployed in the U.S. for the LAANC program to New Zealand. Using AirMap's free iOS and Android apps, drone operators can request digital airspace and public land owner approvals required by New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority. Digital authorization is available from the Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wanaka airports and on public lands in the Christchurch City, Selwyn, and Queenstown Lakes District Councils, including parks and reserves. Commercial and recreational drone operators are invited to take part in the trial, which is currently underway and will significantly simplify and streamline the authorization process.

Airspace managers participating in the trial are using the AirMap airspace management dashboard to provide digital flight authorizations and share real-time updates about the location of events, community gatherings, emergencies, and other areas to avoid. This information is delivered immediately to the AirMap app to enable safer flights and more comprehensive situational awareness.

Airways New Zealand is the key enabler of the region's aviation system and a leading provider of air traffic management services worldwide, serving more than 65 countries and managing more than 1 million air traffic movements each year. "The trial is an important step in investigating how Airways could develop a nationwide UTM system that safely integrates UAVs into New Zealand's wider air traffic control network," said Airways Chief Executive Graeme Sumner. "There is potential for New Zealand to become a test-bed for the UAV industry through the implementation of a system that supports growth and development in a safe manner."

"We're very excited to help New Zealand's drone pilots more easily and safely access the airspace," said Ben Marcus, AirMap CEO. "With the world watching, Airways and AirMap are demonstrating how UTM technologies can safely open the skies to high-scale drone operations, today."

About AirMapAirMap is the world's leading airspace management platform for drones. Millions of drones, hundreds of drone manufacturers and developers, and hundreds of airspace managers and stakeholders rely on AirMap's airspace intelligence and services to fly safely and communicate with others in low-altitude airspace. For more information please visit www.airmap.com and follow @AirMapIO on Twitter.

About Airways New ZealandAirways New Zealand is a world-leading provider of air traffic management services and a key enabler of the region's aviation system, optimising air traffic flows across the entire aviation network. We are responsible for one of the largest Flight Information Regions in the world of 30 million square kilometres, and we manage more than 1 million air traffic movements per year. Airways operates in New Zealand as a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE). We also provide air traffic control and engineering training, and have delivered air traffic management, Flightyield revenue management solutions, navigation services and consultancy in more than 65 countries. For more information please visit www.airways.co.nz.

| December 13, 2017   |||

Dec 8, 2017  -  Rocket Lab plans to roll out the company’s second light-class Electron rocket to its launch pad in New Zealand on Thursday for final countdown preparations, but officials have delayed liftoff to no earlier than Friday night, U.S. time.  The Electron booster, standing roughly 55 feet (17 meters) tall, could blast off from Rocket Lab’s commercial launch pad as soon as 0130 GMT Saturday (8:30 p.m. EST Friday) at the opening of a four-hour launch window. The launch opportunity opens at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in New Zealand.

Rocket Lab says it has a wider window to launch the rocket, with four hours each day through Dec. 17.

Liftoff with three commercial CubeSat payloads was planned as soon as Thursday night, U.S. time, but officials said they needed more time.

The company transported the Electron vehicle to its launch base last month, after completing full-up hotfire testing. The launch team rehearsed countdown procedures last week, and practiced loading kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants into the rocket.

“We did a hotfire campaign as a big preparatory test, so all that was done over a month ago,” said Shaun O’Donnell, Rocket Lab’s vice president of global operations. “The wet dress rehearsal went really well. It went really smooth, especially for our first run at it, so we’re really confident.”

Ground crews at the launch site on Mahia Peninsula, on the east coast of New Zealand’s southern island, planned to transfer the two-stage rocket from its assembly hangar to Launch Complex 1 overlooking the Pacific Ocean Thursday, U.S. time, a Rocket Lab spokesperson told Spaceflight Now.

The rocket will be raised vertically on its launch mount, and Rocket Lab officials will assess the launcher’s readiness and weather conditions before proceeding with the countdown Friday.

The Electron rocket’s second launch comes more than six months after Rocket Lab’s first orbital launch attempt, which ended prematurely May 25 when a ground tracking computer feeding data to the range safety team stopped receiving signals from the launcher around four minutes after liftoff.

The flight safety officer inside Rocket Lab’s launch control center followed established procedures and sent the command to shut down the Electron’s second stage engine after the data dropout.

Investigators traced the mishap’s cause to a software programming error in a tracking system provided by a third-party contractor, and Rocket Lab’s own ground systems — operating in a shadow mode on the maiden flight — did not suffer the same problem.

With a launch base, control center and factory in New Zealand, Rocket Lab also has a headquarters in Southern California, where it is outfitting a second rocket assembly plant. Eventually aiming to launch as often as once per week, the U.S.-New Zealand company operates under the regulatory umbrella of the FAA.

The FAA announced earlier this week it issued a commercial launch license for the Electron rocket’s second flight.The second Electron rocket is pictured on its side at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Credit: Rocket Lab

The May 25 test flight, dubbed “It’s a Test,” demonstrated good performance of the Electron rocket’s first stage, and the launcher’s second stage engine ignited and payload fairing jettisoned as designed before the mission was terminated.

The results raised hopes the second Electron launch, christened “Still Testing” by Rocket Lab, could successfully reach orbit. Engineers also minimized changes to the rocket, with the most significant upgrade in the second stage, which will debut stretched propellant tanks to accommodate more fuel, O’Donnell told Spaceflight Now.

“The performance we saw from the vehicle was really good,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday from Rocket Lab’s development facility in Auckland. “It was actually in the upper bounds of the performance we expected, so that was really positive.

“The vehicle this time around is slightly longer,” O’Donnell said. “That’s really just a tank stretch. It doesn’t relate to any changes with the engines or other functional parts of the vehicle. From the good data that we got from that first launch, we’re confident that the majority of those systems are fine, which was really reassuring.”

But the upcoming mission is still considered a demonstration, and Rocket Lab has a third Electron vehicle built that could launch in early 2018 on a third test flight — if necessary — before the company begins operational launches. Rocket Lab officials said commercial service could be accelerated to begin on the third Electron launch if the second flight goes well.

Rocket Lab said the weather outlook for Sunday does not look favorable, so the launch could slip to Monday (Sunday night in the United States) if officials order a further delay.

“Our weather limits are pretty generous for the vehicle,” O’Donnell said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. “We’ve got pretty decent ground level winds.

“One of our biggest issues is triboelectrification in the high clouds,” O’Donnell said, referring to the potentially dangerous build-up of static electricity on the rocket as it soars through high-level clouds. “It’s one of those things that could happen any time of year, and that can cause potential issues.”

A dedicated team will monitor real-time conditions during the countdown in case weather takes a negative turn.

Refined kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen will be loaded into both stages of the Electron rocket in the final hours of the countdown, and a final automated launch sequence will commence at T-minus 2 minutes to oversee the last steps before liftoff

The Electron’s nine Rutherford main engines, mounted in a circular web-like configuration at the base of the first stage, will ignite at T-minus 2 seconds.File photo of the Electron rocket’s nine Rutherford first stage main engines on a previous vehicle. Credit: Rocket Lab

The Rutherford main engines, developed in-house by Rocket Lab, will generate around 34,500 pounds of thrust at liftoff and power up to 41,500 pounds of thrust as the rocket climbs into the upper atmosphere. The Rutherford engines use electric turbopumps, an innovation in the launch industry that first flew on the Electron rocket.

The first stage engines are scheduled to shut down around two-and-a-half minutes into the flight, and the booster will release to fall into the Pacific Ocean four seconds later. Ignition of the second stage’s single Rutherford engine is slated for T+plus 2 minutes, 36 seconds.

Separation of the Electron’s nose shroud, which covers the three shoebox-sized CubeSats riding on the launch, is planned at T+plus 3 minutes, 4 seconds.

The second stage engine is programmed to fire more than five-and-a-half minutes until T+plus 8 minutes, 14 seconds. The second stage burn will be around 50 seconds longer than the firing planned on the Electron’s first test launch, thanks to enlarged propellant tanks that extend about a half-meter (1.6 feet) longer than the tanks on the inaugural flight, O’Donnell said.

“It just gives us more payload, essentially, thanks to a longer burn time,” O’Donnell said of the bigger second stage.

The three CubeSats — one from Planet and two from Spire Global — will release out of Rocket Lab’s Maxwell deployers at T+plus 8 minutes, 31 seconds.

Planet’s CubeSat, named “Dove Pioneer,” will join the company’s fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. Spire’s Lemur-2 CubeSats are used to track ship traffic and collect atmospheric measurements to aid weather forecasters.

Rocket Lab says it charges $4.9 million per Electron flight, significantly less than any other launch provider flying today, and offer a dedicated ride for payloads that currently must ride piggyback with a larger payload.

The company has a launch contract to place several CubeSats in orbit for NASA next year, along with future launch agreements with Planet, Moon Express and Spaceflight, which books launches of small satellites from various commercial and scientific customers.

With money from venture capital funds in Silicon Valley and New Zealand, along with a strategic investment from Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab completed the design and qualification of the Electron rocket with less than $100 million since the company was established in 2006, according to Peter Beck, the company’s CEO and founder.

Rocket Lab’s progress was marked with test launches of more than 80 sounding rockets since the company’s formation. If the second Electron mission reaches orbit, it will mark the first orbital launch from New Zealand.

“What we’re looking for (on the second launch) is just to close off that final few minutes that we didn’t see on the first flight, where we’re getting into orbit, we’re completing the burn of the second stage and we’re releasing some payloads, which would really be the cherry on top,” O’Donnell said.

“It is still a test,” he said. “We had originally planned for three test flights, so we’re fully prepared to run that third test as well if we don’t get everything we need from this one.”

| A Spaceflight Now release  ||  December 8, 2017   |||

Dec 8, 2017  -  Photos of one of Air New Zealand's Boeing 787 Dreamliner engines which failed this week in-flight show damage to multiple turbine blades, at the rear, suggesting a part broke off and travelled through the engine.  That engine, on Tuesday morning's flight NZ99 bound for Tokyo with 282 people on board had to be shut down when it caused the aircraft to shake violently.

Passengers heard clunking sounds and electrical power went out temporarily after takeoff from Auckland airport. The plane concerned, which was the first of the airline's nine Dreamliners to go into service, has since been grounded.

On Wednesday another Dreamliner bound for Buenos Aires also had to turn back to Auckland when problems arose with an engine. That engine did not have to be shut down in flight.

Air New Zealand told Newsroom last night it was "extremely surprised by the two issues experienced this week".

Provided with the photos taken of the NZ99 engine after it landed back in Auckland, a spokeswoman said: "The cause of these incidents is yet to be determined and this is the role of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission. But the damage sustained on Tuesday suggests an engine part has travelled through the engine."

Continue here to read Tim Murphy's full article with images on NewsRoom  ||  December 7, 2017   |||

Dec 7, 2017  -  Thai Airways celebrates 30 years of flights between Auckland and Thailand today, marking a longstanding commitment to New Zealand as the only carrier to consistently service the Auckland-Bangkok route.  On 6th December 1987, the first official Thai Airways passenger jet service, operated by a DC-10 aircraft, touched down at Auckland Airport.

Initially operated as a direct twice weekly service between Bangkok and Auckland, over the last thirty years the service has increased to daily with the recent launch of the new 787-9 Dreamliner on 17 November. The new offering marks a two-way tourist capacity increase from its five times per week service.

The new Dreamliner flight has added 600 weekly seats to the service, which serves as a popular connecting route to the rest of Asia and beyond to Europe.

Thai Airways Vice President of Alliances and Commercial Strategy Development Mr. Krittaphon Chantalitanon and Director of Sales, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific, Mr. Prin Yooprasert arrived yesterday from Thailand to attend today’s official celebrations.

Mr. Chantalitanon said that Thai Airways are proud of the legacy that the airline has established here in New Zealand.

"Over the last 30 years, Thai Airways has provided both New Zealand travellers and exporters access to Asia and beyond. Given that Thailand is now a leading tourist destination and New Zealand’s eighth largest export market, this is a relationship we are committed to growing."

"The increase to a daily flight service with last month’s launch of the new Dreamliner is testament to the growing significance of this route," says Mr.Chantalitanon.

Thai Airways operates 100 aircraft to 63 destinations in 33 countries across Asia/Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

Over a million Kiwis have travelled to Thailand since 1987. Today Thailand is one of the top holiday destinations for New Zealanders.

Thai Airways 30th Anniversary will be officially celebrated tonight at the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre where long supporting travel agents and cargo agents will be recognised for their contribution to the airline over the last thirty years.

| A Thai Airways release  ||  December 6, 2107   |||

Dec 5,  2017  - Auckland Airport advises passengers travelling internationally in December 2017 and January 2018 to allow an extra 30 minutes for their journey through the terminal building.   Anil Varma, Auckland Airport’s acting general manager – aeronautical operations, says, “December and January are the busiest months of the year at our international terminal. Known as the summer peak, this year we are expecting around 162 international flights every day, with international passenger numbers expected to be approximately 6% higher than last summer. We are also expecting an average of around 37,500 passengers to use the international terminal on each of our ten busiest days this summer.”

“Many of us have a standard routine when departing or arriving Auckland Airport. Just like last year, we recommend everyone allows an extra 30 minutes for travel through the international terminal over the next couple of months. This will help ensure they have a more relaxed journey. They should also give themselves extra time to travel to and from the airport, given the high level of roadworks happening around the Auckland region again this summer.”

“Auckland Airport has worked extensively with stakeholders at the airport, including both the airlines and joint border agencies, to ensure the airport can operate efficiently and effectively during the busy summer period.”

Throughout the year Auckland Airport has invested more than $1 million every working day to make improvements to help support the growth in international passengers and aircraft, including building:

· a new outbound border processing and security screening area, and a new space for departing international passengers to repack and relax after security screening;

· a new gate lounge with two airbridges on Pier B of the international terminal – Gate 17 – to accommodate a large B787 or A380 aircraft, or two smaller aircraft. This new gate lounge increases the capacity of our western Pier B by 50%;

· the first half of our exciting new international passenger lounge and its retail hub;

· new toilet facilities in the international departure area;

· a new Strata Lounge – a comfortable and relaxed space for travellers who do not belong to an airline lounge programme plus 14 airlines that choose to use the lounge to accommodate their premium passengers prior to boarding;

· an upgraded bus lounge on Pier B to further improve journeys for travellers transferring between the terminal and an aircraft parked on remote airfield stands; and

· a new fully-serviced remote airfield stand to accommodate international aircraft.

In preparation for this summer we have also:

· reconfigured the international check-in area to provide seven more service counters – an 8% increase;

· invested in 15 more mobile international self-service check-in kiosks – increasing the total number of available mobile check-in kiosks to 60;

· purchased two new Aviramps to provide a safer and better boarding or disembarking experience for passengers whose aircraft is parked on a remote airfield stand; and

· recruited extra staff, including 70 Passenger Experience Assistants, to help passengers at the airport.

We have also continued to work closely with the New Zealand Aviation Security Service, Customs New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries. The New Zealand Aviation Security Service has installed four new state of the art security screening machines in the international departure area to increase passenger processing times. Customs New Zealand has increased the eligibility for their eGates to include Chinese passport holders, and more nationalities are expected to be delivered throughout the summer period. Auckland Airport has built a new Green Lane for use by pre-selected New Zealand and Australian passport holders who are arriving in the country and have no biosecurity items to declare to the Ministry for Primary Industries.

We have also been working on a number of initiatives to improve the transport network around the inner airport roads, and working with the New Zealand Transport Agency and Auckland Transport to help improve traffic flows and reduce travel times to and from the airport. These initiatives include:

· a new slip lane and free left-turn as part of NZTA’s upgrade of the SH20A / Verrisimo Drive intersection;

· improving access to the domestic terminal forecourt for passengers, commercial transport operators and buses;

· completion of the first stage of an upgrade of Nixon Road to provide a new route from the south-east to Auckland Airport’s Park&Ride on Verissimo Drive that avoids the need to use Tom Pearce Drive and George Bolt Memorial Drive;

· an outbound bus and T2 lane on Tom Pearce Drive;

· increasing the frequency of Auckland Transport’s Airporter 380 bus service to every 15 minutes during peak periods; and

· Auckland Airport staff located within the Auckland Transport Operation Centre on peak days to assist with the proactive management of traffic light phasings for Auckland Airport’s network.

Passengers can play their part to help keep things moving at the international terminal this summer by:

· booking a car park online, well ahead of their day of travel to maximise their choice of location and to secure a better deal;

· allowing 30 minutes extra for their journeys through the international terminal building;

· ensuring their hand luggage meets airline requirements;

· completing their international departure card before reaching Customs;

· ensuring any liquid, aerosol and gel containers in their hand luggage are not larger than 100ml, and are all placed in one re-sealable, transparent plastic bag (20cm x 20cm or smaller) and put in an easily accessible location;

· following airline advice for recommended check-in times for passengers travelling to North America, due to additional security requirements for these flights;

· asking the person who is picking them up to park in The Wait Zone, until they receive a text or phone call saying you are ready for collection; and

· checking the Auckland Airport website and App for the latest flight and travel information.

“We thank everyone in advance for their understanding and support during our busiest time of the year,” says Mr Varma.

| An Auckland Airport release  ||  December 5, 2017   |||

Nov 28, 2017  -  Oceania Aviation has achieved approval of a cargo pod system for the Bell 429, and it is looking to further expand its equipment range.  Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, Oceania Aviation’s Part 145 manufacturing division, Airborne Systems, has worked with a private owner to gain New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (NZCAA) approval for its Bell 429 Cargo Pod supplemental type certificate (STC).

In early 2017, engineering manager Russell Goulden was approached by a private owner who was unhappy about a recently purchased cargo basket. With the possibility of making changes to the H125 Series cargo pod for the Bell 429, Goulden knew this was a project he and his team could accomplish. Oceania Aviation’s streamlined cargo pod has a much lower drag penalty than wire mesh type of basket, and it keeps valuable property safe from the elements as well as being locked when the aircraft is parked.

Having successfully received NZCAA, TC and FAA approval for role equipment used on the H125 (AS350 and AS355) and MD500 Series helicopters, Goulden is well accustomed to the STC approval processes.

“We are always excited to increase our product range, but, more importantly, to increase operational capability of an aircraft. At the end of the day we provide operators with a solution to increase the capabilities of their aircraft which can transform into increased revenue and satisfaction,” said Goulden. “This makes our work very fulfilling. Working alongside operators to create a product that best suits their needs is exactly what we want to be doing.”

With adjustments to the current H125 Series cargo pod, Airborne Systems have created and received approval for a fully composite cargo pod designed for strength and lightness, becoming the epitome of externally mounted storage on the right side of the Bell 429 aircraft.

“We are now looking for expressions of interest to get our cargo pod approved for the Bell 407. In fact, we welcome expressions of interest to create role equipment for any helicopter type,” Goulden added.

Oceania Aviation’s cargo pods are currently utilized on AS350s and AS355s for heli-skiing, tourism, logging and utility operations in New Zealand, Canada and more recently in the United States. Having displayed the cargo pod at the annual HAC convention and trade show in Ottawa, Ontario, the reviews of the pod have been very positive.

According to Oceania Aviation, the new owner of the Bell 429 cargo pod was so impressed with the Airborne Systems working on a Bell 429 bike rack.

Goulden and his team are also in the process of achieving several modifications for the MD 902 helicopter including a seat shift kit, cargo hook mirrors, camera mounting systems and more.

| An Ociena Aviation release  ||  November 28,  2017   |||

Nov 21, 2017  -  Second Electron rocket was delivered from Rocket Lab’s factory in Auckland to Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula placed 200 km to south east.  After failed first launch attempt on May 25, 2017, Rocket Lab announced that second test flight is planned before end of 2017. For all spaceflights fans in New Zealand we have good news: second Electron rocket arrived to Launch Complex 1 on November 16, 2017.

Second launch attempt named "Still Testing" is planned for December and seems to be different flight comparing to first one, "It's a Test". This time rocket will deliver few Cubesat satellites and deploy them at 300 km x 500 km orbit inclined 83 degrees to the equator.

Payload of Electron rocket will be one Dove Earth-imaging CubeSat for San Francisco-based Planet, and probably two Lemur-2 weather CubeSats operated by Spire Global.

Rocket Lab still has not unveiled when exactly Electron will be launched but is highly possible that second launch attempt will be performed before Christmas.

| A Spaceflight.News release  ||  November 21,  2017   |||

Tracking aircraft maintenance just got easier through Spidertracks' cloud partnership with Aeronet writes Rob O'Neill in Reseller News.

Two New Zealand aviation technology developers have teamed to tackle one of the most complex and time-consuming problems in aviation: tracking and automating aircraft maintenance and flight logging.

Spidertracks, based in Auckland's Karangahape Road, already manufactures and sells on-board satellite tracking devices, dubbed "Spiders", though a global network of resellers.

Now it has teamed with Cambridge-based cloud fleet management software company Aeronet to automate the tracking process and eliminate reams of paper, ad hoc spreadsheets and manual data entry.

The new service, prosaically called Maintenance Tracking, uses data from the Spiders integrated with Aeronet’s API.

"It takes all of the admin out of what was once tedious and time-consuming and puts that time and effort back into the hands of operators, allowing them to focus on maximising productivity and growing their businesses," Spidertracks says in a blog post.

Fixed-wing aircraft equipped with Spiders just need to be signed up sign up for Maintenance Tracking while helicopters need a new Spider 8 device.

Spidertracks and Aeronet launched Maintenance Tracker at the National Business Aviation Association conference in Las Vegas this week.

Spidertracks’ chief marketing officer Todd O’Hara said allowing Spider Events and Maintenance Tracking to automate this area of customers’ operations means they have one less moving part to keep tabs on.

“For most operators, the data is already there. It was just a case of finding what else we were able to do with it that would provide more value to our customers," he said.

An early user, Canada-based flight training, aircraft charter, aircraft maintenance, and pipeline surveillance operation Synergy Aviation, said the system allowed maintenance to be performed "live".

“This is the only software I’ve found that works for helicopter operations where maintenance is regularly performed in the field," said Synergy director of maintenance Marc Hanatschek.

Spidertracks’ CEO Dave Blackwell said Maintenance Tracker was a milestone towards providing a broader range of services for customers.There’s been an increasing desire from customers to use Spider data to provide more value for their businesses, he said.

“We see a lot of examples where aircraft operators are having to work in disparate systems and duplicate data entry in an effort to get the job done. What we’re doing here is automating these work flows and integrating systems to provide greater efficiency and more reliable data, which will ultimately deliver significant cost savings.”

Spidertracks was founded by James McCarthy and other family members and associates after it took two weeks to find the pilot following a 2005 helicopter crash.

Those interests still own most of the company supported by a 16.5 per cent investment from The Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall's venture investment company K One W One alongside other smaller shareholdings.

Aeronet is deveolped by Module Limited, which also privately owned

| A REsellerNews release  ||  October 11,  2017   |||

Air New Zealand will fly daily to Houston for most of next winter as demand for travel between New Zealand and Texas continues to soar. Air New Zealand currently operates five services per week to Houston year-round. From 25 March to 27 October 2018 it will increase to a mix of daily services and six services per week, a capacity increase of 16,000 seats on the route over this period. The airline will deploy its newly configured 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on Auckland-Houston from December 2017, the first time the Dreamliner will regularly service one of Air New Zealand’s North American routes. Air New Zealand’s Chief Revenue Officer Cam Wallace says the airline has steadily grown its Houston operations since it commenced services there in 2015 and it’s fantastic to see strong demand from both ends of the route. “A strategic gateway into America’s south, Houston is unlocking huge demand for travel to New Zealand from across the South, Mid-west and Mid-Atlantic regions, with annual visitor arrivals up 21 percent from Texas and 25 percent from New York. “As a transit hub, Houston also offers Kiwi travellers better onward connections to popular East Coast destinations like New York, Boston and Miami.” The newly configurated 787 offers more premium seating for customers, with 27 Business Premier seats – up from 18 on the existing Air New Zealand Dreamliner, and 33 Premium Economy seats, up from 21. Air New Zealand also offers its popular Economy Skycouch™ alongside the Premium Economy and Business Premier options on services to Houston. Air New Zealand recently launched its global marketing campaign A Better Way to Fly in North America, using a CGI kiwi named Pete in a bid to convince more Americans and Canadians to travel with the airline to New Zealand and Australia.

| An Air New Zealand release  ||  October 11,  2017   |||