National carrier Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday dismissed speculation it was interested in buying a stake in Australian airline Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd (VBA.AX: Quote, Profile, Research).

"Air New Zealand has become aware of rumours to the effect that it is interested in acquiring a shareholdering in Virgin Blue Ltd. Air New Zealand advises that there is no substance to these rumours," the airline said in a statement.

Air New Zealand did not say where the speculation on Virgin Blue, which is 62 percent owned by Toll Holdings Ltd (TOL.AX: Quote, Profile, Research), had come from....

Air New Zealand has breached an agreement it reached over working conditions for ground handling staff, the Employment Relations Authority has ruled.

The Service and Food Workers' Union (SFWU) took the airline to the authority claiming it tried to pressure new staff to agree to work flexible hours – a breach of their collective agreement.

The dispute arose out of deals reached between the airline and the workers' unions to prevent the outsourcing of most of the 1800 workers' jobs.

Two other unions representing Air New Zealand staff – the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) and the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association (AMEA) – endorsed collective agreements which allowed Air New Zealand to roster its workers on an 80-hour flexible fortnight....

Boeing says the delivery of 787 Dreamliners to Air New Zealand should not be affected by the production delays affecting other airlines next year.

Boeing announced on Thursday that the first deliveries of the carbon composite aircraft had been pushed back by at least six months to begin in late November or December next year.

Vice-president of marketing for Boeing commercial airplanes Randy Tinseth said in Auckland yesterday that there should be no impact on Air New Zealand's order....

Direct flights from Tauranga to Christchurch will resume at the end of this month but there is concern the schedule will cost business passengers time and money.

Air New Zealand will launch its weekday service from October 29 following demand for a direct flight to the South Island rather than the current linking from Wellington and Auckland....

British billionaire Sir Richard Branson says his Virgin Group hopes to produce clean biofuels in a few years and early next year will test a jet plane on renewable fuel.

Air New Zealand has said it plans to test a flight on a combination fuel of biofuel and kerosene late next year, but Virgin is trying to beat it by testing biofuels first.

Virgin hoped to provide clean fuel for buses, trains and cars within three or four years, Sir Richard told a meeting in Boston yesterday....

An Air New Zealand flight from Tonga has made an emergency landing at Auckland International Airport.

Fire Service spokesman Mau Barbara says the pilot of the Boeing 767 with 155 people on board, reported problems just before landing....

In the cutthroat battle for business-class airline passengers, any competitive advantage is jealously guarded - even the shape of the seats.

Virgin Atlantic is understood to have started legal proceedings to protect the design of its Upper Class product after competitors started to roll out suspiciously similar seats. Industry sources said that Sir Richard Branson’s airline was suing Contour, a Wales-based seat manufacturer, for breach of patents....

Contour built Virgin’s seats, but the company has also supplied herring-bone-shaped seats to Delta, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada and Jet Air.... [Virgin] has licensed the herringbone design to only one other airline, Air New Zealand.

A $180 million upgrade of Auckland International Airport will be fast-tracked to ensure tens of thousands of Rugby World Cup visitors enjoy a smooth welcome to New Zealand.

The airport company said yesterday a major overhaul of the international terminal would be completed by mid-2011 - 18 months earlier than originally planned.

It will mean visitors and those returning to New Zealand will arrive on a new floor, built above the existing arrivals lounge.

Don Huse, Auckland Airport chief executive, said the expected 70,000 fans coming here would arrive to stunning views across the Manukau Harbour.

The area would also be designed to showcase all that is good about New Zealand, from iconic images, to homegrown art and design, to native flora, fauna and landscapes....

Trans-Tasman flights from Palmerston North's airport are set to continue after an agreement was signed on Tuesday with Australian airline Ozjet.

The service was due to end in March when current provider Freedom Air will cease flights from the airport.

The agreement, subject to regulatory approvals, will allow for flights from Palmerston North to Melbourne and Brisbane. The schedule is likely to be similar to that provided by Freedom Air, a budget operator owned by Air New Zealand....

An Air New Zealand flight was forced to return to Christchurch this afternoon after its flaps failed to work and it had to abandon its landing in Wellington.

Anxious passengers on board the Boeing 737-300 plane said the pilot told them of the flap trouble as they were about to make their approach into the capital....

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe will be sporting a new look from Friday 2 November.

Gone will be the well-known “salt and pepper” waves and in their place will be a smooth, gleaming dome.

The head of New Zealand’s national airline is having his head shaved - live on TV3’s Sunrise programme - to raise awareness of the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation’s Appeal Week, which starts on November 6. And what better way to promote it than by signing up for the charity’s signature fundraiser, Shave for a Cure®.

“Air New Zealand supports more than 40 charitable causes each year in a variety of ways and I hope that by having my head shaved we will raise awareness of an extremely important fundraising initiative,” says Rob.

“Every day, 6 New Zealanders are diagnosed with leukaemia or a related blood condition. That figure includes infants, children, teens and adults – everyone. That is why it is so important that we try and raise as much money as possible to help the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation in their vision to cure, mission to care.”

Mr Fyfe will be joined by four female Air New Zealand domestic cabin crew, who will be shaving their heads too.

“It was actually one of them who approached me and inspired me to take the plunge to help this charity – it was a great opportunity to stand side by side with some fellow colleagues and raise awareness of the important work that the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation do.

Pru Etcheverry, Executive Director of the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation, said: “Wow, it is really heart-warming to know Rob and his staff are getting right behind our Appeal Week and Shave for a Cure®. Shave offers supporters a way to show empathy and solidarity for leukaemia patients, many of whom suffer hair loss as a result of life-saving treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

“And it is also the main source of funds for our Patient Support Services. The demand for these services is constantly growing and the ongoing challenge for us is sourcing the $1,000 they cost to provide each day.

“The patients and families we work with often require a level of support ranging over months, or even years. They rely on our home and hospital visits, counselling, education and information services way beyond their initial diagnosis. We need to be there so they do not make this journey alone.”

ENDS

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Event details
Date: Friday 2 November 2007

Time: 7.30am to 8.00am

Venue: Wellington Airport between Icebreaker and Fuel café