Air New Zealand’s third Dreamliner has been spotted at Boeing’s Everett factory just outside Seattle as its delivery date nears. The 787-9, registration ZK-NZG, took its first test flight on Monday November 17. According to flight tracking websites, the test flight lasted 109 minutes, with the aircraft departing from and arriving at Paine Field. Unlike
Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has given Virgin Australia’s proposed takeover of Tigerair Australia the green light. In a statement to the Australian stock exchange on Friday, Virgin said the all clear from FIRB satisfied one of the conditions for the deal, which was expected to be completed by the end of 2014. “Virgin
Air China has flagged starting services to Auckland as part of a proposed strategic alliance with Air New Zealand. The two carriers signed a statement of intent on Friday, coinciding with the visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to New Zealand. In a joint statement, the two Star Alliance carriers said they expected to
Members of Virgin Australia and South African Airways’ (SAA) frequent flyer programs will be able to “earn and burn” points across each other’s networks as part of an expanded partnership between the two carriers. The reciprocal frequent flyer agreement, announced on Friday, also offers elite members of Virgin’s Velocity and SAA’s Voyager benefits such as
Regional carrier Jetgo has cited low demand and economic conditions for shelving planned Sydney-Roma flights less than two weeks from launch. The airline was due to start operating between Sydney and Roma with 36-seat Embraer ERJ 135 aircraft from December 1. However, a post on Jetgo’s Facebook page on Thursday said those flights have been cancelled, with
Passengers will be able to watch ABC television programs, including new bulletins, on board Virgin Australia flights as part of a new commercial deal between the airline and the national broadcaster. Virgin from November 1 added three 15-minute news bulletins from the ABC on its seat-back entertainment system on board its widebody Boeing 777-300ER and
