Vital meeting in Zurich for airlines

Press, 19 June 1979, Page 6

Vital meeting in Zurich for airlines

By I

LES BLOXHAM,

travel editor

Air New Zealand, acutely embarrassed by the 13-day grounding of its DC 10s, is now hoping that the Federal Aviation . Administration in Washington will modify its stand and grant a conditional release of the series 30 model.

In spite of a frenzy of activity by some European countries towards a unilateral lifting of the ban, Air New. Zealand believes it will have little room to manouvre

without the blessing of the F.A.A.

Even the European authorities appear now to be unsure of their ground, and this morning’s vital meeting of interested parties in Zurich will also be attended by representatives of the F.A.A. and the aircraft’s makers, McDonnell Douglas. The European delegates are no doubt hoping that the F.A.A. will back their. proposed new maintenance programme for the series 30 which has been prepared by

three airlines, Swissair, British Caledonian, and Alitalia. Informed sources say that the European airlines are

aware that the United States will not be the only country whose skies will remain firmly closed to the big jets while the Washington ban is effective. As far as Air New Zealand is concerned, there is already doubt as to whether Hong Kong, Singapore, and even Australia would welcome a New Zealand DCIO until the all-clear is given. There was growing feeling last evening among the airline’s staff that the aircraft will remain on the ground for the rest of the week—at least. Meanwhile, the airline is trying to make do with only l

one of its three DCBs. The DCB which was damaged when a wheel disintegrated on take-off at Honolulu nine days ago, is still not back in service.

After the accident, the airline’s director of corporate and public affairs (Mr D. C. Saxton) said the damage was not serious and that the DCB would be flying again within a few days. On Thursday he reported that a replacement engine was being flown that evening to Honolulu. The aircraft was expected to be in the air again, he said, within 12 hours.

Mrs Brenda Baldwin,

public affairs spokesman, confirmed yesterday that the damage was more extensive than at first thought, and that the DCB would remain out of action for “several more days.” The third DCS. which was undergoing a major overhaul when the DC 10s were grounded on June 7, will not be ready for sendee until early next week. Tomorrow, the first of the airline’s Pan American 747 charters will leave for Los Angeles. The six round-trip flights will cost Air New Zealand more than SIM and produce a net loss of $300,000.