Air New Zealand expects era-defining year

Air New Zealand has revealed that it expects the coming year to be one of the most significant in its history.

The company announced normalised earnings before tax of $96 million (£43.8 million) in the six months up to December 2009, an increase of $70 million from the previous year.

Rob Fyfe, the airline's chief executive officer, said the results reflected the "considerable efforts" of employees and their focus on delivering "world-class results".

Innovation will be a "key theme" for the coming year, Mr Fyfe added, along with the development of its services in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region.

"The next 12 months will be one of the most defining in Air New Zealand's history," he said.

"Our competitors will be scrambling to catch up as we introduce a world-first long-haul experience, continue to evolve our trans-Tasman and Pacific Island operation and introduce more capacity into our domestic jet operation with the arrival of new A320 aircraft."

The airline recently announced that it will introduce lie-flat seats in the economy cabin of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft this year.

Posted by Andrea, 26 February 2010 15:23

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