New Zealand Aviation NEWS

The Flying Kangaroo will operate an additional 95 flights from Brisbane to Wellington and Christchurch between December  and February to meet school holiday demand. Qantas has also announced a fifth weekly flight between Sydney and Jakarta and daily services between Perth and Singapore  in the holiday period, to give customers “more choice”. “A key part of our strategy is listening to and responding to our customers’ needs and developing an agile and flexible  network which offers more options during peak periods,” said Qantas Executive Manager of International Sales, Stephen  Thompson. “We are really pleased to be able to meet demand for travel between Brisbane and both Wellington and Christchurch with the  return of direct services during December and January.” The announcement follows on from Virgin Australia’s decision to add seasonal flights from  October 25  out of Brisbane to  Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Well...

A volcanic ash cloud which has left hundreds of New Zealanders stranded in Bali is moving away from Denpasar Airport. Compare Travel Insurance spokeswoman Natalie Ball said about 350 New Zealanders were stranded in Bali after Airlines  cancelled flights in and out of Denpasar Airport due to dangerous flying conditions caused by an ash cloud from Mt Raung. Located on the eastern end of Java about 140km north-west of Denpasar Airport, Mt Raung has been erupting almost   continuously since late June. This has generated a significant ash cloud, which has impacted Aviation Operations over Bali and eastern Java since early  July. The Bureau of Meteorology said in an advisory winds over eastern Java had started shifting north, causing the ash cloud to  move south away from Denpasar Airport. "Winds have eased in strength, reducing the distance volcanic ash is able to travel," the advisory said. Two Air New Zealand flights to Bali...

Improving safety will be one of the main goals of a new body joined by Raglan drone manufacturer Aeronavics.  Aeronavics co-director Linda Bulk was recently elected to the newly established Unmanned Aerial Vehicle New Zealand  (UAVNZ) executive committee, having worked with other industry leaders to get it established. "Usage has grown exponentially and the sector has grown very fast," Bulk said. "It's still very new and New Zealand has  got this big ambition to be one of the prominent players with this new technology." Aviation New Zealand had formed the executive committee as a result. "It was noted that it would be good to have an industry association or body, a group that was addressing all sorts of  things," Bulk said. One of the key roles would include making more people aware of the regulations governing the flight of drones, both  commercial and recreational. "At this stage the Civil Aviation Authority is no...