Air New Zealand fleet fact sheets 1983 and 1985

 

Air NZ Boeing 747-200B 

Air NZ Boeing 737-200 and Fokker Friendship

Air NZ McDonnell Douglas DC8-50 F and fleet history

Air New Zealand route network 1983

Air NZ Boeing 747-200B (1985)

Air NZ Boeing 767-200ER and Boeing 737-200

Air NZ Fokker F27 Friendship and fleet history (1985)

Air NZ route network 1985

Air New Zealand used to make available information sheets about its current fleet, above are two different issues for 1983 and 1985.  The key difference is the 1983 issue includes the single DC-8F freighter and the 1985 issue include the Boeing 767-200ER.

Other notable differences between the two years include:

• 1985 edition notes a sixth Boeing 747 is on order
• Seating capacity on the Boeing 747s has dropped by three seats in economy
• The order for Boeing 737-200 Advanced is noted in the 1985 edition (which would ultimately replace the six NAC era Boeing 737s)
• Hong Kong and Port Moresby dropped from 1985 route map
• Adding Christchurch-Nadi to 1985 route map
• Adding Honolulu-Vancouver to 1985 route map
• Adding Wellington-Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane to 1985 route map

Undoubtedly the introduction of the Boeing 767s gave Air New Zealand significantly greater flexibility to add new routes, not just restarting Tasman services from Wellington, but also redeploying Boeing 747s from Tasmania and Pacific routes.

Air New Zealand Flying Times August 1984 - Special Boeing 767 issue

 

Flying Times August 1984 - the 767 ER edition

Air NZ CEO describes why the 767s were a good choice

767 first new design since the 747

767 history

Engine choice

Introduction of 767 in service elsewhere

767 range

767 cockpit technology

767 economy class interior (Boeing LOPA)

For the imminent introduction of its first Boeing 767s, Air NZ published this special edition of Flying Times, with a mix of colour and black and white images. It contained no actual images of the first Air NZ 767s, but highlighted why the airline acquired them, and the technical and economic advantages of the airliner type for the airline.  They would fly from September 1985 until 2005, providing the medium-haul backbone for the airline.

Some key points highlighted include:

• Enabling the resumption of Trans-Tasman services to/from Wellington
• Enabling higher frequency services Trans-Tasman to/from Christchurch (previously only operated by Boeing 747s)
• Additional capacity for some Pacific Island routes
• Able to provide more domestic peak-capacity between Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
• Freeing up more Boeing 747 capacity for long-haul routes

A lot of material is republishing of history and data about the Boeing 767 from Boeing, noting production started in 1978 and the first was delivered in 1982. At the time, 18 airlines were operating the 767.  The 2-3-2 LOPA in economy class was noted as desirable to passengers (it certainly was, as most passengers either had a window or aisle seat). It was also notable as being one of the airliners that started having two cathode ray tube displays for information (today it is conventional to have video screens (not CRT any more!) for most instrumentation), alongside the Boeing 757 (which was launched at about the same time).

For Air NZ the Boeing 767-200ER started its expansion in short-medium haul international routes that were not economic to fly Boeing 747s.

Air New Zealand introduces the Boeing 767-200ER - and reintroduces international flights from Wellington to Australia

 

Air New Zealand Boeing 767-200ER leaflet 1985

Air New Zealand Boeing 767-200ER leaflet 1985

In 1981 Air NZ ceased flying internationally from Wellington as it withdrew its Douglas DC-8-52 passenger fleet from service due to mounting losses. After that there was around a four year gap before it restarted flights using its first Boeing 767-200ER aircraft. This leaflet promote the new aircraft before they came into operation, as three had been ordered. Not only would they return international flights to Wellington (in competition with Qantas which had not ceased operations as it was using Boeing 747-SP aircraft before switching to its own Boeing 767s before Air NZ started to fly them), but they were the first Air NZ aircraft to operate from Wellington with an international business class and the first Air NZ wide body aircraft for regular service at Wellington (and the last).  The 767-200ER would also become a mainstay of Trans-Tasman flights to and from Christchurch and supplement Auckland services too, including the Perth route, but also would operate regular Auckland-Christchurch and a handful of weekly Auckland-Wellington and Wellington-Christchurch services (my first wide-body aircraft flight was on a 767-200ER from Christchurch to Wellington in my teens).

The Boeing 767-200ER would become a mainstay of Air NZ's short to medium haul international services, operating until 2005, when finally replaced by the airline's first generation of Airbus A320s. Of course the 767s with 220 passengers had a lot of capacity, so service frequencies were very poor by today's standards (by comparison today's Airbus A320NEO have only 165 seats). After a month of introductory service, the full summer schedule indicates only three flights a week WLG-SYD and one a week WLG-MEL and WLG-BNE.  Note also the absence of the early morning departures seen today for this route (no flights before 0800) and midnight arrivals (no arrivals after 2220) for Wellington. 

Air New Zealand Boeing 767 postcard and publicity card

Air New Zealand Boeing 767 publicity card (flip side)