Re: New Zealand Aviation - April 2024

Fascinating stuff in here about WLG ...https://infratil.com/for-investors/reports-results-meetings-investor-days/investor-days/2024-march-investor-day/video-coverage-of-the-full-investor-day/ WLG is the biggest unserved airport by ticket sales for Emirates and Singapore Airlines. And a little bit o...

Re: Is the 787-10 failure or underestimated

When NZ ordered the -10s it was on the basis of detailed technical assessment including the IGW info from Boeing. I'm not aware of any developments since then that will have changed the assessment of what the -10s are capable of, westbound from US ports, with various pax + freight loads. Rather than...

Re: Is the 787-10 failure or underestimated

I think that as the 78X is improved, with higher MTOWs, it will become a more attractive aircraft. Remember when the first A330-300s came out in the mid 1990s and their MTOW was about 211t; at the end of its production run, the last ones (ironically, also delivered to EI, which was the first airlin...

Re: Is the 787-10 failure or underestimated

The 781 is clearly a great aircraft for medium-haul – for which it is optimised. But there will be carriers for which payload/range remains an issue. NZ ordered 781s to replace its 77Es. It said at the time they would be mainly used for NZ-Asia routes. That makes sense – excellent pax+cargo capacity...

Re: New Zealand Aviation- December 2023

Sorry if this has been covered before, but did we ever settle on whether a full SQ 359 could take off from WLG to SIN? The original issue was whether the 359 could operate from WLG at all. The Astra report http://www.connectwellington.co.nz/static/documents/22%20WIAL%20Runway%20Extension%20-%20Revi...

Re: 2023 APEC Flights

yachty wrote:

Australia: RAAF A330 MRTT (A39-007) CBR-HNL-SFO

Re: New Zealand Aviation - July 2023

The next thing would be the domestic A320s which delivered 2013//16 for the SL fleet 2011/12 for the other 4 leased aircraft OAB, OJQ, OJR, OJS, that would be the next opportunity to consider the A220 given the A225 will be Launched at some point, but possibly an A223 fleet with 150ish seats could ...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - June 2023

There are 8 regos assigned for the 8 GE 789s on order ZK-NZS to ZK- NZZ so it ends the registration block nicely. They might not order any more than this commitment though. A cheaper option would be to keep a few 77Ws in the fleet long-term for the cargo heavy routes. It is certainly possible that ...

Re: 787-9ER and 787-10ER

The 787-10, in its current form can fly LAX-AKL with full passengers and bags. This will just be icing on the cake, where they may be able to take a few tons of cargo. NZ have moved their GE powered -10 order to -9. It looks like the larger version is either not up to the requirement they initially...

Re: 787-9ER and 787-10ER

So we have an answer why NZ has switched its order from -10s to -9s. The -10 is not a solution for trunk routes from west coast USA to AKL. Looks as if they are now left with a longer-term issue of how to replace the 77Ws on trunk routes.

Re: 78X load factors Long haul

NZ management seem to have backtracked on original plans to order -10s. News from the recent TRENZ conference was that all 8 firm 787 orders would now be -9s. And they are looking for an additional 77W. Not a surprise: on trunk routes (LAX, SFO) they need the payload/range the 77W can offer and the ...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - May 2023

It was the same when they upgauged the 788 to the 789, it looked too big to replace the remaining 763s, I think the 789 is probably the right aircraft and can cover all routes. I think 781s will have a place they were meant to replace the 772 and be used into Asia, I would expect an improved 781 to...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - May 2023

It was the same when they upgauged the 788 to the 789, it looked too big to replace the remaining 763s, I think the 789 is probably the right aircraft and can cover all routes. I think 781s will have a place they were meant to replace the 772 and be used into Asia, I would expect an improved 781 to...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - April 2023

Surely if NZ was to lease some additional 77W capacity, it would be more than just for 12months? The 789/10 deliveries are very paced out, not leaving much room for growth over the next 5 years. I suspect all the current 77W’s will end up staying till 2030, unless there is another downturn in trave...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - January 2023

What I want to know is, why is it only this time that Delta has an opportunity to start flights to AKL when it could've also had an opportunity to start flights to the Kiwi city before the pandemic? They've never had this many A350's in their fleet for starters. And pre-pandemic I think they were f...

Re: Report: AI to order 435 single aisle and 70 widebody aircraft

Great order. Only thing I'm confused about is why only 10 777Xs? I'm aware that this is roughly around the current amount of 777-300ERs in the fleet, but is 10 frames enough to cover all ex-India trunk routes? Some routes that might command the 777X could be DEL-LHR/FRA/JFK/ORD/SFO and BOM-LHR/FRA/...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - January 2023

WLG runway should have happened and being in the process of being built if not built by now. Runway at current length seems perfectly adequate. Certainly supports large volume of domestic traffic and we're returning to higher frequency of 737/A320 services to Australian destinations. And it's now e...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - January 2023

Here is the 77W and 789 schedules for the week starting 3 July 2023. SFO is still 5 per week and SIN has the most it's ever been was 12 pw before I think. The fleet is busy with only a few days free with both the 789s and the 77Ws. AKL SIN 14 pw 789 AKL HKG D 789 AKL PVG D 789 AKL NRT D 789 AKL DPS...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - January 2023

More 787's will become -9 without question in my opinion. The fact we've had radio silence from Boeing and a lack of serious interest from other airlines indicates a lot to me. Plus they really struggled to get the 787, 737-MAX and now 777-X series off the ground makes me really question what's goi...

Re: New Zealand Aviation - January 2023

Given what NZ are doing and sending the 77W to SIN and the way they are filling them, then some talk of adding a leased 1-2 makes me wonder what they will do, IAH will get them back in March to, the 781ER would need to be a hell of a plane to match the range of the 77W, the 789 can do IAH easily bu...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - December 2022

The latest rumour is that as predicted, NZ have re-signed the lease for OKO (77W) so will have 77W in the fleet for quite a while yet and longer than the previous NZ comments. Hopefully this increases the odds that the 77W fleet will get refurbished, including with the new Business Class. With NZ s...

Re: Update: United Airlines nears order for over 100 787s - Bloomberg News

Doing fine? No. NZ have been having all sorts of challenges with the standard 789 on JFK-AKL – which they wouldn't be having if they had gone for the A350 to replace their 77Es. Likewise UA when they were running LAX-SIN using the 789. Not a criticism of the 787. Just the reality of the payload/rang...

Re: Future of the A338?

Does the A300 tooling even exist? Airbus is obviously the best positioned to fill the MOM gap but it won't be an A300. The tooling exists for the A330 (ahem, A300) fuselage and the A330neo wings ;) I'd say smaller scale A330 wing with a fuselage between A300 and A310 and call it a day. Call it the ...

Re: Future of the A338?

Point is that with A310, A300 and B767 (pax version) out of production and no replacements being developed there's a gap in the market between A321 and B787/A330. Given the level of airline interest in a MOM/NMA it's a bit of a puzzle why Airbus haven't put a carbon wing and optimised gear on an A31...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - October 2022

Even with a financial incentive, SQ didn't stay. Someone needs to put this argument to bed for life. WLG needs to suck it up and focus on getting more SH flights. Not only did they stay, they upgraded from 77E to 359. With an increase in frequency if my memory’s correct. From late 2019. Only suspen...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - October 2022

The SQ service into WLG obviously was doing well for them to upgauge to long haul configured A359 along with going from 3 services to 5 per week pretty quickly. I do wonder if covid hadn't came along, we probably would have seen a daily service sometime in 2020 and who is to know, the business case...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - October 2022

Most likely options will be Code E tags or future improved widebody performance for closer range hubs such as SIN. On paper the A359 such as the one SQ operated into Wellington can already do Singapore and similar destinations non-stop with full pax. I still have my doubts about this. While dry run...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - October 2022

a7ala wrote:

Most likely options will be Code E tags or future improved widebody performance for closer range hubs such as SIN.

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - October 2022

I doubt NH want to be drawn into the small NZ market ... Curious as to why you think New Zealand would be too small for them - AKL is a larger airport than several destinations they fly/flew to, such as PER and SJC. PER = you have a point; it's an odd ball. however, SJC is Silicon Valley = no probl...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - October 2022

We don’t know how many of the current order will be converted to 789s though? Some could be 781 still, maybe they won’t take any 781 at all, though with the MTOW increase it would be a very likely candidate on the LAX/SFO routes with more capacity than the 789s. The current -10 would do nicely to u...

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If Airbus could offer NZ a 359ULR which could do AKL-LHR non-stop both ways, even in a premium low density layout, that may be a factor for a 350 order. The A359ULR is nowhere near capable of making AKL-LHR. SIN-JFK is 15348kms, AKL-LHR is 18354kms. AKL-LHR is way beyond what either Sunrise destina...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - September 2022

Food for thought in the 787 vs A350 question in light of JFK experience. A few things to think about. One will be what freight capacity NZ need out of LAX, SFO and IAH. A MTOW increase for the 781 won’t turn it into a 77W: let’s assume it be able to do full pax out of LAX/SFO reliably, but it won’t ...

Re: New Zealand aviation thread - August 2022

Hey, a couple months back we had a conversation about EK potentially coming to WLG with their 777-200LRs, and we kind of concluded it's extremely unlikely for them to come, atleast with their current fleet. Is there any chance that they could fly to WLG with their 787s or A350s when they get delive...

Re: Boeings latest statement on the 787 MTOW increase

Assuming NZ will be the first to get the higher MTOW airframes it looks as if they’re more than two years away:

https://tinyurl.com/2zexddf5

Re: New Zealand aviation thread - August 2022

My guess is Boeing are still working out how to engineer the MTOW increase they supposedly committed to when NZ ordered the -10s – there’s been no hard info on the design/engineering solutions they’re working on even though they’ve had several years to do it. The newshub article has me confused. It ...

Re: Qantas announces 3 weekly AKL-JFK

Technical point to flag in this is that it illustrates again the quite different payload/range optimisation of 789 vs A359/35K. A350s could do Sydney-NYK non-stop. 789 even in QF’s low-density configuration needs a technical stop in Auckland.

Re: New Zealand aviation thread - August 2022

I suspect what made it work for SQ was more the outbound traffic. Lots of J and W pax out of Wellington from health, legal, creative, business sectors plus bureaucracy. As always premium pax will go for the more direct/shorter transit options plus high quality where they have the choice. The Aucklan...

Re: New Zealand aviation thread - August 2022

I could be wrong, but I thought an issue was that even if non-stop could work on a dry runway at WLG, it wouldn't work on a wet one, and it often rains at WLG? I can't now find a link to the Astral report (it was on the WIAL website from memory) but from the report itself, on the A359 charts: "...

Re: Airbus reshapes A350 cabin to better accommodate 10 abreast

Agreed. I fit just fine in a 17" seat, but what I dislike about high-density configs the small armrests, narrow aisles, and a general sense of claustrophobia, especially on the 777. The 9ab 787 was a lot better thanks to the SkyInterior and large windows, giving the cabin an airy feel. I also ...

Re: New Zealand aviation thread - August 2022

And there's still the question of what it would take for SQ to go to non-stop out of WLG. They switched to a 359 for the service via Melbourne – so clearly the technical analysis in the Astral report saying the 359 wasn't viable out of WLG doesn't stand up. Zeke https://tinyurl.com/eysupjte ran the ...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - May 2022

Because without the runway extension there's no way to support larger aircraft. And unless you want to cut the top off of Newlands you have to extend into the Cook Strait. Upping the cost even more. Wellington also has bigger things to deal with than better flight options. Housing and regional publ...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - May 2022

As a Wellingtonian who’d love to see more airlines coming to WLG? A non zero chance, but I’d hardly be holding my breath. I just don’t see WLG getting much more direct service than it has already. If you did a major runway lengthening that would change. The chances of that happening are increasingl...

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - April 2022

NZ6 wrote:

WLG is just an awful location for a city and an airport.

Re: New Zealand Aviation Thread - April 2022

Wellington works well as a base for narrow body trans-Tasman services. Distance is just short enough to allow aircraft to do two crossings a day – making for a highly efficient service to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Can’t see any reason this traffic would be displaced by routing via Auckland and...

Re: Ethiopian Orders Boeing 777-8 Freighter

Has anyone seen numbers for wing loading on 778F vs A350F? Presumably that could swing it for Ethiopian with their high altitude base.

Re: Qantas to firm up A350-1000’s for Project Sunrise by mid year

QF has had experience for years - eg with 744s on US routes - managing sectors that would be a stretch with regular configuration and loadings. They have done it with lower density configurations, creative flight management and a readiness to block out seats in the more challenging seasons or days. ...

Re: Qantas to firm up A350-1000’s for Project Sunrise by mid year

It still blows my mind how the A350-1000 can be better for this role than the A350-900ULR with all that extra structural weight. The standard -1000 has always had more range than the standard -900. Not strictly QF related but reflecting on completion dynamics and other orders for a ULH 350-1000. Ca...

Re: Qantas A330 Replacement

It looks like as if the 900ULR variant is being pitched to QF rather than the 1000: https://www.flightglobal.com/singapore-2022/qantas-project-sunrise-a350-talks-ongoing-as-airbus-touts-widebody-family-credentials/147606.article The article is behind a paywall but interesting if the -900 is back in...

Re: Qantas A330 Replacement

Won’t the JQ 788s be part of the story?

Re: Etihad Airways News and Discussion Thread - 2022

From Airbus statement: “To date the A350F has won firm orders and commitments for 29 aircraft from 5 customers.”