Air NZ Names Manager

AIR New Zealand has appointed Bruce Parton as group general manager of short-haul airline operations.

He replaces Norm Thompson, who was recently appointed deputy chief executive.

Mr Parton, 41, takes responsibility for all domestic, trans- Tasman and Pacific Island airline operations as well as Air New Zealand airport operations in those regions.

He was previously general manager of the domestic airline and led the company’s contentious airport labour reform negotiations earlier this year involving 1500 workers at the three main international airports.

Air New Zealand will lock out 145 mainly Auckland International airport workers from Monday. They have refused to agree to reduced conditions.

Air New Zealand carried a total of 988,000 passengers in October, 6.2 per cent more than in the same month last year. Passengers on short-haul flights grew 3.5 per cent and long-haul 28 per cent. Long- haul flights were 77.8 per cent full in October, up 4.7 per cent.

Domestic aircraft flew 72.3 per cent full, up 1.3 per cent, while flights to Australia and Pacific Islands were 83.5 per cent full, up 7.9 per cent.

Group yields for the year to date were down 0.3 per cent on the same period last year.

(c) 2007 Dominion Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.