Virgin Australia expands codeshare on Air New Zealand domestic routes

By BA Staff

Virgin Australia has expanded its codeshare agreement with Air New Zealand, adding its code to an additional 17 routes across New Zealand.

Virgin Australia already codeshares to all Air New Zealand destinations in New Zealand however today’s announcement means that customers now have more choice than ever before on how to get to their destination.

Virgin Australia Chief Commercial Officer Judith Crompton said:

“Following the recent reauthorisation of our trans-Tasman alliance with Air New Zealand, we have expanded our codeshare agreement in order to provide customers with more choice when travelling in New Zealand. We are committed to being the alliance of choice across the Tasman and we will continue to actively review our network and schedule to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers.” 

The trans-Tasman alliance between Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand was launched in 2011 and was recently reauthorised until October 2018. The alliance has enabled the two airlines to offer consumers a better choice of flights, improved connections and increased capacity across the Tasman.

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Kiwi same sex couple ties the knot at 30,000 feet

An Auckland based couple made history today by becoming the first same sex couple in New Zealand to marry in flight. Find the details below. 

19th August 2013 

An Auckland-based couple has this morning made history celebrating the legalisation of same sex marriage in New Zealand by saying "I do" in the skies. 

Lynley Bendall and Ally Wanikau, who have been together almost 14 years, wed onboard a special Air New Zealand flight from Queenstown to Auckland. The leading ladies made their vows in front of friends and family, including their children Javarn (9), Maycee (7) and Mikaere (6), and Ally's son Damon.

The pair exchanged pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) in place of traditional wedding bands before being pronounced as officially wed in front of actor and marriage equality campaigner Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who recently married his long-term partner Justin Mikita. 

"It's been an absolute pleasure to be able to celebrate this historic and joyous moment with Lynley and Ally. Marriage equality is something very dear to both Justin and me." 

Following the in-flight ceremony a pop-up choir surprised the couple and their guests, performing the Maori love song Pokarekare Ana which was sung in the New Zealand Parliament following the legalisation of same sex marriage in April. 

Lynley says the couple has waited a long time to make their 13-year union official and she's ecstatic to be able to call herself a newlywed. "To be married at 30,000 feet beneath strings of fairy lights with our children, friends and family as witnesses makes an already memorable day that much more special. It was surreal to have Jesse play a part in the ceremony too - we're big fans of Modern Family!" 

Jesse and Justin gifted the couples' children bow ties from their charity Tie The Knot which raises funds for the promotion of marriage equality. Air New Zealand Chief People Officer Lorraine Murphy says the onboard ceremony was an unforgettable way to mark the law change. "The atmosphere onboard was incredibly festive and the applause following the couple's vows was heartfelt. It was a great celebration of New Zealand's diversity." 

The couple departs New Zealand tonight on an Air New Zealand service to Los Angeles for their honeymoon at a Palm Springs resort. For photos and video footage of Lynley and Ally's wedding visit www.airnzloveisintheair.com. 

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The best wines onboard your flight. 2012 Cellars in the Sky awardees.

Once again it is that time of the year to combine two passions, flying and wine.

The annual Business Traveller 'Cellars in the Sky' awards were presented for the year 2012. The awards have been running since 1985, recognising the best business and first class wines served by airlines worldwide. Over 75 carriers were contacted in the summer of 2012, with a total of 33 airlines entering.



In repeat of last year, Australian carrier Qantas, took home the greatest number of awards, winning the prizes for Best Overall Wine Cellar, Best First Class Sparkling (shared with Oman Air), Best Business Class Sparkling (shared with Singapore Airlines), and Best-Presented First Class Wine List. A surprise winner this year is the resurgent Malaysia Airlines which also picked up two prizes, for Best First Class Red and Best First Class Cellar.

Blind tastings took place in December 2012 at the Brigade Bar and Bistro, London, with four judges independently scoring the wines. The judges were:

• Charles Metcalfe, co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge and food and wine matching guru;
• Tim Atkin, Master of Wine and award-winning wine columnist;
• Sam Harrop, Master of Wine and international winemaking consultant;
• Peter McCombie, Master of Wine and top restaurant wine consultant.

The airlines that took part were: Aer Lingus, Air Astana, Air Canada, Air France, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Eva Air, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Iberia, Jetstar, KLM, Korean Air, LAN Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAM Airlines, TAP Portugal, US Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.

The list of awardees:

FIRST CLASS

Best First Class Red

Malaysia Airlines – Schubert Marion's Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2010, Wairarapa, Martinborough, New Zealand
Emirates – Château Clinet, 2001, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
Lufthansa – Château Canon La Gaffelière, 2007, Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France

Best First Class White

British Airways – Vincent Girardin Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru le Champ Gain, 2007, Burgundy, France
Emirates – August Kesseler Lorcher Schlossberg Alte Reben Riesling Spätlese, 2010, Rheingau, Germany
American Airlines – Henri Darnat Meursault Clos de Domaine, 2010, Burgundy, France

Best First Class Sparkling

(JOINT) Oman Air AND Qantas – Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, 2000, France
(JOINT) Emirates AND Malaysia Airlines – Champagne Dom Pérignon, 2003, France
Cathay Pacific – Champagne Amour de Deutz Brut, 2002, France

Best First Class Fortified and Sweet

All Nippon Airways – W and J Graham's 30 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro, Portugal
(JOINT) Oman Air – Dr Loosen Riesling Beerenauslese, 2006, Mosel, Germany
AND Qantas – Seppeltsfield Paramount Collection Rare Muscat, NV, Rutherglen, Australia
Air France – Château Guiraud, 2006, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

Best First Class Cellar

Malaysia Airlines
Qantas
Lufthansa

Best-Presented First Class Wine List

Qantas
Cathay Pacific
Qatar Airways

BUSINESS CLASS

Best Business Class Red

TAM Airlines – Château Bel-Air-Ouÿ, 2007, Jean-Luc Thunevin, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France
Singapore Airlines – Bodegas Roda Rioja Reserva DOCa, 2007, Spain
Cathay Pacific – Villa Maria Single Vineyard Southern Clays Pinot Noir, 2010, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

Best Business Class White

Oman Air – Sancerre "La Porte du Caillou", 2010, Henri Bourgeois, Loire, France
Jetstar – Main Divide Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, 2011, New Zealand
(JOINT) Aer Lingus – Lawson's Dry Hills Riesling, 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand
AND Emirates – Metis Sauvignon Blanc, 2009, Trinity Hills/Pascal Jolivet, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Best Business Class Sparkling

(JOINT) Qantas AND Singapore Airlines – Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, NV, France
Qatar Airways – Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée NV, France
(JOINT) Air France AND Cathay Pacific – Champagne Deutz Brut Classic, NV, France

Best Business Class Fortified and Sweet

KLM – The Stump Jump Sticky Chardonnay Riesling Semillon Pinot Gris, 2010, Adelaide Hills/McLaren Vale, Australia

Finnair – Niepoort Colheita, 1998, Douro, Portugal

Air New Zealand – Winter Solstice Glacier Wine, 2010, Reliance Wines, Marlborough, New Zealand

Best Business Class Cellar

Singapore Airlines
Qantas
Aer Lingus

Best-Presented Business Class Wine List

Air New Zealand
Finnair
LAN Airlines

OVERALL

Best Overall Wine Cellar

Qantas
Singapore Airlines
Qatar Airways

Best Airline Alliance

Oneworld

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Best wines onboard - Cellars in the sky awards presented

It is that time of the year where I get to combine two of my favourite passions. Aviation and Wine.

The annual Cellars in the Sky Awards have been announced, recognising the best business and first class wines served by airlines worldwide.

The big winner this year was Qantas, which walked away with four awards -- best first class red wine, best first class fortified / sweet wine, best first class cellar, and best presented wine list.

Cathay Pacific won two awards -- best business class red wine and best business class cellar. Lufthansa also bagged two awards -- best business class fortified / sweet wine, and best first class sparkling wine.

Singapore Airlines which used to consistently win awards seems to have been knocked right out of the competition. India's Jet Airways has won fourth place for the best sparkling wine in business class.

Given the economic slowdown and resultant impact on airlines has forced the industry to greater creativity and choosing lesser-known but much more interesting wines.

Judging wines from 34 airlines were five judges:

• Charles Metcalfe, TV wine presenter and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge
• Joanna Simon, author, wine and food editor for House and Garden magazine and co-founder of the Wine Gang
• Sam Harrop, Master of Wine and winemaking consultant
• Derek Smedley, Master of Wine for more than 40 years, consultant and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge
• Tim Atkin, Master of Wine, wine columnist for The Observer, co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge and co-founder of the Wine Gang.

The results

Business Class

Sparkling wine

1. Delta
Piper-Heidsieck Brut, Champagne, France
Score: 18.25 out of 20

2. JOINT: Qantas, Singapore Airlines
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, Champagne, France
Score: 18

3. Mexicana
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut, Champagne, France
Score: 17.75

4. JOINT: Jet Airways, LAN
Louis Roederer Brut Premier, Champagne, France
Score: 17.5

5. JOINT: Cathay, KLM
Billecart-Salmon Brut, Champagne, France
Score: 17

Red

1. Cathay Pacific
Spy Valley Pinot Noir Marlborough 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand
Score: 18.75

2. Korean Air
Tyrrell’s Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2005, Hunter Valley, Australia
Score: 18.5

3. KLM
Tempus Two Barossa Shiraz 2005, Barossa, Australia
Score: 18.25

4. LAN
Altair 2004, Alto Cachapoal Valley, Chile
Score: 18

5. Alitalia
Barone Ricasoli Castello di Brolio, Casalferro, 2005, Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
Score: 17.75

White

1. SAS
Tim Adams Semillon 2007, Clare Valley, Australia
Score: 18.5

2. Cathay Pacific
Moët Hennessy, Green Point Reserve Chardonnay 2005, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
Score: 18

3. ANA
Weinguter Wegeler, Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 2007, Mosel, Germany
Score: 17.75

4. Qantas
Peter Lehman Wines Eden Valley Riesling 2005, Barossa, Australia
Score: 17.5

5. Air New Zealand
West Brook Marlborough Riesling 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand
Score: 17.25

Fortified / sweet

1. Lufthansa
Vinhos Niepoort Late Bottled Vintage 2004, Douro, Portugal
Score: 18.5

2. Singapore Airlines
Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003, Douro, Portugal
Score: 18

3. Air New Zealand
Dr John Forrest, Forrest Noble Marlborough Riesling 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand
Score: 17.75

4. Delta
Chambers Rosewood Vineyards, Muscat a Petit Grains, Rutherglen, Australia
Score: 17.5

5. Qantas
Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Series Liqueur Muscat, Glenrowan, Australia
Score: 17

Best business class cellar

1. Cathay Pacific
2. LAN
3. Qatar Airways
4. American Airlines
5. British Airways

First class

Sparkling

1. Lufthansa
Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Rare, Champagne, France
Score: 19

2. Qantas
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1999, Champagne, France
Score: 18.5

3. Qatar Airways
Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle 1996, Champagne, France
Score: 18

4. Emirates
Dom Pérignon 2000, Champagne, France
Score: 17.75

5. JOINT: ANA, Singapore Airlines
Krug Grande Cuvée Brut, Champagne, France
Score: 17.5

Red

1. Qantas
Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2005, Canberra, Australia
Score: 18.75

2. JOINT:

Emirates
Felton Road Pinot Noir 2008, Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand

Korean Air
Château Léoville Poyferré 2004, Saint-Julien, France
Score: 18.5
[Editor's note: Singapore Airlines used to serve this wine and it is indeed a great wine]

4. JOINT:

American Airlines
Chapoutier Coteaux Tricastin 2006, Rhône Valley, France

American Airlines
Château Lynch-Moussas 2006, Pauillac, France

British Airways
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 4 Pinot Noir 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand
Score: 18

White

1. TAM
Michel Picard Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chalumeaux 2006, Burgundy, France
Score: 18.5

2. British Airways
Albert Bichot Meursault 2007, Burgundy, France
Score: 18.25

3. British Airways
Salomon Lindberg Reserve Gruner Veltliner 2007, Kamptal, Austria
Score: 18

4. Cathay Pacific
Wente Riva Ranch Reserve Chardonnay 2006, Livermore Valley, San Francisco, US
Score: 17.75

5. Qatar Airways
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 18 Snap Block Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand
Score: 17.5

Fortified / sweet

1. Qantas
Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Tokay, Rutherglen, Australia
Score: 18.5

2. Emirates
Château Rieussec 2003, Domaines Lafite, France
Score: 17.75

3. ANA
Taylor’s 20-Year-Old Tawny Port, Douro, Portugal
Score: 17.5

Best first class cellar

1. Qantas
2. American Airlines
3. Qatar Airways
4. British Airways
5. Cathay Pacific

OVERALL

BEST-PRESENTED WINE LIST

1. Qantas
2. Air New Zealand
3. JOINT: ANA, Qatar Airways

CONSISTENCY OF WINES ACROSS BUSINESS AND FIRST CLASS

1. Qatar Airways
2. JOINT: American Airlines, Cathay Pacific
3. Qantas
4. British Airways
5. ANA

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Bloopers of Air New Zealand's nude safety demonstration video "Bare Essentials"

Considering the importance of safety, Air New Zealand wanted to make sure people were paying attention to their safety announcements and developed this very ingenious safety video with crew wearing nothing but body paint. Air New Zealand's nude safety demonstration video "Bare Essentials" took the internet by storm.



Hopefully you have recovered from the weekend and have settled in to your work and you enjoy this bloopers reel of "Bare Essentials".

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Air New Zealand offers London visitors a new iPhone application - London Spot-on

Air New Zealand is offering its passengers an iPhone extension of it's famous Inflight Concierge service.

London-Spot-On™, a free iPhone application which can be downloaded from iTunes, helps travelers find the top local spots for a purchase or a pint, provides one-touch access to resources such as travel deals, tube maps, hand-picked recommendations and can’t-miss events, tourist sites, and insider recommendations on local secrets.

Features include:

• Personally-recommended places to eat, shop, relax and experience
• One-touch access to query Air New Zealand Concierge staff
• Hand-picked Activities sorted by genre, source and proximity
• Interactive Tube Map
• London Taxi numbers pre-programmed
• Eavesdrop on local Twitter chatter
• Plan a trip offline, roaming or even at 30,000 feet in ‘plane mode.’ Sync feature enables download of the latest local activities directly to the iPhone or iTouch.
• Automatically awaits Wi-FI connection prior to downloading updates, saving on international data roaming fees
• Direct access to air fares and special Air New Zealand offers and promotions

The application is compatible with iPhone and iTouch and requires the iPhone 2.0 software update.

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French agency releases preliminary report in the Air New Zealand crash

A preliminary report into a crash of an Air New Zealand Airbus A320 jet last November off the coast of France, is pointing the cause toward its aircrew who were performing low speed tests, claiming “the flight crew’s failure to adhere to standard operating procedures”.

As a result of the interim finding air safety regulators have issued urgent advice on tightening up procedures on non-commercial or “non-revenue” flights.

France’s Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses (BEA) released an interim report which shows why the plane crashed but not what caused it.

Read the full report here.

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The best wine cellars in the sky

Very rarely do I get an opportunity to combine my two passions of aviation and wine and write about it.

A very special thanks to the In-flight Supervisor on a recent Singapore Airlines flight who went in to the first class cellar and served me a superlative Chateau Leoville Poyferre, St. Julien, Bordeaux. Even at 35,000ft, it was one the best airborne wine experiences I had.

Recently Business Traveller magazine, judged and presented its "Cellars in the Sky" awards to various airlines.

A special congratulations to the folks at Jet Airways at making the grade.

What did surprise me is that while many wines from producing powerhouses like France, Italy, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, and Chile, made the grade, the airlines from these respective countries did not. Also missing were producers and airlines from the United States.

Cellars in the Sky: Results for 2008

Business class

Business class sparkling

1. Charles Heidsieck (Mis en Bouteille 2008), Champagne, France. Joint winners: KLM, Singapore Airlines
2. Henriot Souverain NV, Champagne, France. Joint winners: Emirates, LAN
3. Charles Heidsieck (Mis en Bouteille 2007), Champagne, France. Joint winners: Asiana, British Airways, Qantas
4. Piper-Hiedsieck NV, Champagne, France. Korean Air
5. Dom Pérignon 2000, Champagne, France. Jet Airways

Business class white

1. Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett 2005, Mosel, Germany. Qatar Airways
2. Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2006, Yarra Valley, Australia. Qantas
3. Highfield Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand. Air New Zealand
4. Bernhard Ott Fass 4 Gruner Veltliner 2007, Wagram, Austria. Austrian Airlines
5. Anakena Ona 2007, Alto Cachapoal, Chile. LAN

Business class red

1. Palliser Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2005, Wellington, New Zealand. Cathay Pacific
2. Cline Cellars Cool Climate Syrah 2005, Sonoma Coast, California. British Airways
3. Luis Canas Reserva 2002, Rioja, Spain. Iberia
4. Corbières Gerard Bertrand 2006, Languedoc, France. Lufthansa
5. Casa Silva Los Lingues Gran Reserva Carmenère 2005, Colchagua, Chile. KLM

Business class fortified / dessert

1. Forrest Estate Botrytised Riesling 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand. Air New Zealand
2. Niepoort Late Bottled Vintage Port 2004, Douro, Portugal. Lufthansa
3. Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Series Liqueur Muscat NV, Glenrowan, Australia. Qantas
4. Taylor’s 20-year-old Tawny Port NV, Douro, Portugal. Qatar Airways
5. Jurancon Prestige Cave de Gran Jurancon NV, Jurancon, France. Delta

Best business class cellar

1. KLM
2. Qantas
3. Air New Zealand
4. LAN
5. Qatar Airways

First class

First class sparkling

1. Piper Heidsieck Cuvée Rare NV, Champagne, France. Lufthansa
2. Krug Grande Cuvée, Champagne, France. Joint winners: ANA, Jet Airways
3. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1998, Champagne, France. Joint winners: LAN, Asiana
4. Charles Heidsieck 1995, Champagne, France. Qantas
5. Salon Blanc de Blancs 1997, Champagne, France. JAL

First class white

1. Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay 2005, Monterey, California. Lufthansa
2. Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2006, Yarra Valley, Australia. Qantas
3. Spy Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Marlborough, New Zealand. American Airlines
4. Joint winners: Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2004, Mosel, Germany. TAM; Wegeler Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spatlese 2005, Mosel, Germany. American Airlines
5. Manz Riesling Auslese Trocken 2005, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany. Korean Air

First class red

1. Morton Estate Pinot Noir 2005, Marlborough, New Zealand. Qatar Airways
2. Shotfire Shiraz 2005, Barossa, Australia. Lufthansa
3. Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005, Rhône. France, Air France
4. Mungo Park Shiraz 2008, Barossa, Australia. Emirates
5. Pyrenees Ridge Reserve Shiraz 2005, Victoria, Australia. ANA

First class fortified / dessert

1. Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Tokay Muscat, NV, Rutherglen, Australia. Qantas
2. Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003, Douro, Portugal. Singapore Airlines
3. Weingut Neef-Emmich Bacchus Beerenauslese 2007, Rheinhessen, Germany. Lufthansa
4. Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, NV, Andalusia, Spain. Korean Air
5. Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira Porto Ten Anos NV, Porto, Portugal. Cathay Pacific

Best first class cellar

1. Lufthansa
2. Qantas
3. TAM
4. Emirates
5. Qatar

To locate these wines, I recommend wine-searcher.com.

I have written a book entitled Wines Demystified. Please download your free copy in Adobe Acrobat format here.

Read more about the programme including judging procedures here.

Image : Wikipedia

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Saverjet - parody video of low cost airline by Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand has adopted a different approach to marketing. It has created a parody of a low cost airline Saverjet.com. Enjoy the video.

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Air New Zealand conducts biofuel flight

The much publicised bio-fuel test flight of Air New Zealand was conducted successfully. Congratulations to the teams at Air New Zealand, Boeing, Rolls Royce, and UOP division of Honeywell.

The blend of fuel was 50% Jet A-1, and 50% Jatropha oil. The Jatropha plant is grown extensively in India, and bio-diesel is slowly inching its way in to the market. I have opined before, that airlines in India, who are constantly complaining about the cost of fuel should strongly consider the bio-fuel option.

While there are many stories on the flight, I found George Raine's article at the San Francisco Chronicle, and Kris Hall's article at The Dominion Post, the most comprehensive technically.

More details can be found at Air New Zealand's website.

TV NZ has an article along with a video report, which I reproduce below as a convenience to Bangalore Aviation readers.

Read more articles on biofuel at Bangalore Aviation.

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Boeing 787-9 delayed till 2013 says launch customer

Air New Zealand, the launch customer, of the much awaited, and much delayed, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, in a statement announced

"Boeing confirmed yesterday a further 12 month delay could be expected with the first 787-9 aircraft to be delivered to Air New Zealand in the first quarter of 2013,"

Air New Zealand has eight 787-9 on order. Originally deliveries were expected to commence towards the end of 2010. Thanks to the various problems at Boeing, deliveries were delayed to early 2012, and now 2013.

Boeing photo

Jon Ostrower of FlightBlogger, explains in an analysis of an internal Airbus dossier, the 787-9 is the killer application for the Dreamliner project. Many customers are expected to switch to, or order, 787-9's.

Naturally, the airline is incensed. Both Reuters and Bloomberg report, the airline is seeking compensation from Boeing.

On the positive side, Boeing's maintenance plan, a key component of the Dreamliner's economic positioning, has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Boeing has been promoting the 787 as

requiring less maintenance, less often than comparably sized jets, which allows the 787 to be more available for revenue service for airlines, leading to significant financial and scheduling opportunities for airlines.

In related airline news, Air New Zealand announced it will proceed with its bio-fuel test, along with Boeing, on December 30th, originally scheduled for December 3rd, but delayed due to the crash of its Airbus A320 off the coast of France.

As per the announcement

The two-hour test flight is scheduled to take off from Auckland airport on Tuesday morning 30 December, with the jatropha biofuel blend powering one of the Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400's Rolls-Royce RB211 engines.

The pilot in command of the test flight is Air New Zealand 747 Fleet Manager Captain Keith Pattie. During the flight Captain Pattie and his crew will undertake a number of fuel tests confirming and measuring the performance of the engine and fuel systems at various altitudes and under a variety of operating conditions.

The test flight is a joint initiative between Air New Zealand, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and UOP, with support from Terasol Energy, as part of commercial aviation's drive for more sustainable air travel for future generations.

Read more Bangalore Aviation articles on the 787, bio-fuel, Air New Zealand, Boeing.

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Air New Zealand Airbus A320 crashes in Mediterranean

An Air New Zealand Airbus A320 passenger plane, on a test flight, crashed off France's southern coast Thursday, killing all seven people onboard, authorities said.

The plane plunged into the Mediterranean at 4:46p.m. local, officials said. A witness told French radio he saw the Airbus dive and plunge into the sea. "It was flying straight, then it turned brutally towards the ground," the witness, a local policeman, told France Info radio. "I said to myself, it will never pull out and there was a big spray of water."

Five boats, two diving teams and a helicopter searched for survivors, but now the mission has become one of retrieval.

The cause was not immediately clear, Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe told a news conference in Auckland. He said five New Zealanders and two Germans were aboard the aircraft, which had been leased to German carrier XL Airways and was being tested after a refit prior to its return to New Zealand next month.

The airframe manufacturer Airbus released the following statement

Airbus regrets to confirm that an A320 operated by XL Airways Germany and owned by Air New Zealand was involved in an accident this afternoon. The aircraft was operating a flight from Perpignan, France with seven passengers on board.

The aircraft involved in the accident was MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 2500, delivered in July 2005. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 7000 flight hours in some 2800 flight cycles. It was powered by IAE V2500 engines. At this time no further factual information is available.

In line with ICAO Annex 13 international convention, Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the investigation authorities of France, who will be responsible for the investigation into the accident. A team of 5 specialists from Airbus is being dispatched to the site.

The A320 is a twin-engine single-aisle aircraft, seating 150 passengers in a standard two-class configuration. The first A320 entered service in March 1988. By the end of October 2008, 1,960 A320 aircraft were in service with 155 operators. To date, the entire A320 fleet has accumulated some 45 million flight hours in some 24 million flights.

The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident.

For further information, please contact:
AIRBUS - MEDIA RELATIONS
Tel.: (33) 05.61.93.33.87 or 05.61.93.34.31 or 05.61.93.10.00

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Air New Zealand, Boeing to test sustainable bio-fuels in December flight

Photo courtesy Wikipedia
Air New Zealand and Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced Dec. 3 as the date for the airline's sustainable biofuels flight from Auckland using a 747-400 jetliner. Conducted in partnership with Rolls-Royce and UOP, a Honeywell company, one of the airplane's four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines will be powered in part using advanced generation biofuels derived from jatropha. Air New Zealand now becomes the first airline to use a commercially viable biofuel sourced using sustainability best practices.

Boeing, Air New Zealand and UOP have worked diligently with growers and project developer Terasol Energy to identify sustainable jatropha in adequate quantities to conduct thorough preflight testing. Using proprietary UOP fuel processing technology, the jatropha crude oil was successfully converted to biojet fuel, marking the world's first large-scale production run of a commercially viable and sustainable biofuel for aviation use.

"This flight strongly supports our efforts to be the world's most environmentally responsible airline," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe. "We recently demonstrated the fuel and environmental gains that can be achieved through advanced operational procedures using Boeing 777s. We're also modernizing our fleet as we await our Trent 1000-powered 787-9 Dreamliners, which will burn 20 percent less fuel than the planes they replace. Introducing a new generation of sustainable fuels is the next logical step in our efforts to further save fuel and reduce aircraft emissions."

As part of the fuel verification process, UK-based engine maker Rolls-Royce's technical team conducted extensive laboratory testing to ensure compatibility with today's jet engine components and to validate the fuel meets stringent performance criteria for aviation fuel.

"In preparation for Air New Zealand's test flight we achieved our near-term goal - identifying and sourcing the first large-scale run of sustainable biofuel for commercial aviation," said Boeing Commercial Airplane's Managing Director of Environmental Strategy Billy Glover. "The processing technology exists today, and based on results we've seen, it's highly encouraging that this fuel not only met but exceeded three key criteria for the next generation of jet fuel: higher than expected jet fuel yields, very low freeze point and good energy density," Glover explained. "That tells us we're on the right path to certification and commercial availability."

Because of the unique environment in which aviation operates, stringent criteria are in place to ensure that any alternative fuel meets or exceeds current jet fuel requirements. Advance testing for the Air New Zealand flight showed that the jatropha-based biofuel met all critical specifications, including a freeze point at -53 degrees Fahrenheit (-47 degrees Celsius) and a flash point at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).

"Laboratory testing showed the final blend had excellent properties, meeting and in many cases exceeding the stringent technical requirements for fuels used in civil and defense aircraft," said Chris Lewis, Rolls-Royce company specialist for fuels. "The blended fuel therefore meets the essential requirement of being a 'drop-in' fuel, meaning its properties will be virtually indistinguishable from conventional fuel, Jet A1, which is used in commercial aviation today."

To process the jatropha crude, the team relied on UOP's green jet fuel processing technology based on hydroprocessing methodologies that are commonly used to produce transportation fuels. During processing, hydrogen is added to remove oxygen from the biomass, resulting in a bio-derived jet fuel that can be used as a petroleum replacement for commercial aviation. Boeing is working with airlines and engine manufacturers to gather biofuel performance data as part of the industry's efforts to revise the current American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards to include fuels from sustainable plant sources. Jatropha, which can be grown in a broad range of conditions, produces seeds that contain inedible lipid oil that is extracted and used to produce fuel. Each seed produces 30 to 40 percent of its mass in oil. Plant oil used to create the fuel for the Air New Zealand flight was sourced from nonarable lands in India and Southeastern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania).

Air New Zealand is one of several air carriers working to diversify and secure its energy future through participation in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group. That effort includes a commitment to sustainability criteria for fuel sourcing and commercializing plant-based fuels that perform as well as, or better than, kerosene-based fuel but with a smaller carbon lifecycle. The goal is to create a portfolio of next-generation biofuels that can be blended with traditional kerosene fuel (Jet A) to improve environmental performance.

Additional flight specifics will be announced closer to the actual flight date.

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