DC8 freighter ‘real success’

Press, 18 November 1981, Page 6

DC8 freighter ‘real success’

PA i •' . Auckland Air New Zealand says its DCB freighter has outstripped all expectations in its first five weeks of use by lifting, almost. 1300 tonnes of cargo — 55 per cent more than the 818 tonnes the airline aimed for when it put the aircraft into, service on Ortnhpr R The DCB is also earning more dollars than budgeted for, according to the cargo director, Mr M, Neville. “It has turned into a real success story, but it certainly has not been easy,” he said. “The DCB, a converted passenger carrier, is expensive to fly in fuel terms. Lots of people said that while we needed a freighter, we could not possibly make this aircraft pay its way. But we have, and we will continue to do so.” With exporters and importers behind the venture, Mr Neville said, the DCB was carrying an average of 260 tonnes of cargo each, week between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, across the Tasman and to North America. - ' “It runs like-a-taxi,” he said. “The more you use it

the better it goes. Our flights have' total flexibility, and that way we are able to eliminate wasteful sectors where there is not a big enough load to make it a paying proposition.” \ The freighter business has also generated bigger cargo loads for the holds of the airline’s Boeing 747, 737 and DCIO passenger aircraft: ■ “Wellington is booming. We are up 180 per cent on cargo into and out of Wellington for last month compared with the period last year,” Mr Neville said.