First direct flight to London on time

Press, 28 August 1982, Page 2

First direct flight to London on time

From

DIANA DEKKER

in London Air New Zealand flight TE2 touched down on time at - 12.30 p.m. at London’s Gatwick Airport yesterday — a sleek newcomer to Britain in its distinctive teal, blue and silver colours. ' The historic flight, the first of what will be a twiceweekly service between New Zealand and London, was greeted with all the pomp and ceremony that Air New Zealand's London office could muster up. New Zealand’s High Commissioner in London, Mr L. W. Gandar, made a speech of welcome in Maori, members of London’s Maori Club performed a ritual challenge, a crowd of uniformed ground hostesses from Gatwick-user airlines raised placards spelling “Welcome Air New Zealand,’’ and military trumpeters from the Band of the First Battalion of the Queen’s Regiment added a splash of bright red colour and three. fanfares to the proceedings. On board the inaugural flight from Auckland was Air New Zealand’s chairman, Mr R. A. Owens. He was greeted by the airline’s chief executive, Mr Norman Geary, who will be on the first service back to Auckland, and by AirNew Zealand’s regional manager in London Mr Richard Gates. Before the arrival- of the inaugural flight, almost 20 journalists and photographers attended a press conference, given at Gatwick by Mr Geary, accompanied by Mr Gates. Mr Geary told the journal-

ists ■ that Air New Zealand could possibly be "in the black” within two years. The inauguration of the new service had not, he said, been a reckless move. Air New Zealand had been directing people on to other carriers in Los Angeles. “We know the market and a lot of the market know Air New Zealand,” he said. Air New Zealand had served the United Kingdom market indirectly for a long time via the Los Angeles gateway and the London service was an extension of that. The new service would cater for a need by providing a same-plane service, with no baggage hassles, between New Zealand and London. The airline could claim to be “the Pacific's No. 1” with “some justification.” It now had the most modern fleet of 747 s in the world. The fifth and last “for the time being” had been taken delivery of just this- week. Forward bookings for the service were strong and reinforced the view that the service would be very popular, Mr Geary said. Air New Zealand now had fewer layers of management and a clearer line of communication and authority; and the staff structure had’ been streamlined and would be reduced further to 7000 by March next year. “There are no sacred cows in Air New Zealand. We’re having a good hard look at everything we are doing,” Mr Geary said. Air New Zealand is the thirty-eighth scheduled airline to work from Gatwick Airport. Only one other airline, British Airways, flies direct London to Auckland services. Most of the passengers on yesterday’s inaugural flight were commercial customers. While the welcome to’ the ' officiaPjparty ,'took; place. ,oq;< the Gatwick “apron”close to the plane, the paying travellers were going through cus-i toms. «