The government is committed to expanding the number of airlines operating here with Turkish Airlines a possible newcomer, pilots have heard.
At a function to celebrate the New Zealand Airline Pilots Association’s (NZALPA) 80th year, MP Dan Bidois said the government wanted more connections and carriers. He said it was ‘exciting’ to see the likes of VietJet (VJ) and Turkish Airlines (TK) looking at the possibilities of extending networks here. VJ has committed to four times a week services from Ho Chi Minh City to Auckland from Sep and Turkish Airlines chiefs have said New Zealand is on the radar following expansion into Australia. While flights are likely to initially stopover in Singapore, the airline has ultra-long range Airbus 1000s on order that could make a non-stop Turkey-New Zealand flight a possibility.
. . . Pilot Tribute
Bidois, deputy chair of the transport and infrastructure committee, was standing in for James Meager, associate transport minister at the NZALPA function. He paid tribute to pilots for their work during the pandemic in keeping vital supplies coming into the country. He also said they played a key role in ensuring passengers flew safely around the country. Work is continuing to make government agency, the Civil Aviation Authority, more efficient and speed up processing times through Aviation Security, he said.
