Airline News

If all goes well, an Air New Zealand 747 jumbo jet will take off from Auckland in September powered by fuel refined from the seed of a fast-growing weed.

The three hour test flight could mark one of the more promising - and more unusual - steps by the airline industry to find cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuel.

"We're confident that the test will go well," said David Morgan, Air New Zealand's general manager for airline operations, before leading visitors to a farm here where the weeds are being researched.

If the flight is successful, "it'll be a real milestone not only for Air New Zealand but for aviation".

The secret: oil from poisonous seeds of the jatropha tree, which grows in warm climates. For the past year, scientists here have been perfecting a process to turn the oil into jet fuel. This week, the airline announced plans to use this fuel for 10% of its needs by 2013.

business.theage.com.au

Labels: Air New Zealand, fuel

Air New Zealand, the nation's biggest carrier, will raise fares on domestic and international flights an average 4% and cut some services because of higher jet fuel costs.

business.theage.com.au

Labels: Air New Zealand, fuel

Trans-Tasman carrier Air New Zealand says there is no substance to rumours that it is interested in buying a stake in Australian low cost carrier Virgin Blue.

smh.com.au

Labels: Air New Zealand, Virgin Blue

Qantas is attempting to loosen Air New Zealand's stranglehold on the New Zealand domestic market with a multi million dollar investment to begin next month.

theage.com.au

Labels: Air New Zealand, Qantas

Air New Zealand says it plans to mount the first test flight of a commercial airliner partially powered by biofuel.

news.bbc.co.uk

Labels: Air New Zealand, biofuel

Air New Zealand has hit a novel bit of turbulence in its plans to update and expand its ageing fleet of Boeing aircraft.

The company is having to go direct to its shareholders to gain support to buy just over $4.5 billion worth of new wide-body long-haul jets, as the size of the deal is much bigger than those that would normally require just boardroom approval.

smh.com.au

Labels: Air New Zealand, shareholders

As Qantas and Singapore Airlines send their low-cost carriers into war in the Australian domestic market, Air New Zealand has scrapped its budget service across the Tasman.

smh.com.au

Labels: Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand continues to fly high, filling more seats and gaining enormous benefits from the high NZ dollar.

stuff.co.nz

Labels: Air New Zealand

When Air New Zealand became one of the first airlines to order the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner three years ago, it was betting that the future of air travel was to fly direct and to fly more often.

nzherald.co.nz

Labels: 787 dreamliner, Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand is looking to start a domestic budget carrier as the competition from rivals such as Kiwijet increases.

theage.com.au

Labels: Air New Zealand, budget, Kiwijet