New Zealand aviation mission visits Indonesia

A delegation of senior New Zealand aviation sector representatives visited Jakarta in February to engage with Indonesian interests about business prospects.

Auckland Airport continued its engagement with Garuda Airlines about a resumption of a direct air service between Indonesia and New Zealand . New Zealand Ambassador David Taylor says this would be a “game-changer for the bilateral relationship, providing a major boost for trade, tourism and education connections”.

The New Zealand companies promoted specialist training for air traffic controllers and pilots as well as its Flight Yield Automated Billing system (which is used by the Civil Aviation Authority of China and in Papua New Guinea), along with state-of-the-art baggage and handling systems that are already being used in airports in Southeast Asia including Padang in Indonesia.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) organised a seminar with key Indonesian aviation sector interests in Jakarta where both sides shared information about development plans and business opportunities.

Zealand has a long and distinguished aviation sector history:

First in flight:

• New Zealand aviator Richard Pearse achieved powered flight in 1903 from his farm in Canterbury - before the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.

Innovation:

• Over 1000 aircraft have been manufactured in New Zealand - some are operating in Indonesia.
• Air New Zealand Engineering Services develops complex composite structures for aircraft and SMI Group creates luxury finishes for private jets.

Service:

• At least 500 different aircraft and helicopter models are able to be serviced I New Zealand.
• New Zealand Aluminium Smelters supplies very high grade aluminium for use in the aerospace industry, including for the wings of Airbus’ new 380 super jumbo aircraft.
• The Aviation Medicine Unit at the University of Otago ’s Wellington School of Medicine is the only aviation medicine programme in the world to offer distance education training.

Fun:

• The Aviation Heritage Centre and Park at Omaka, Marlborough, combines the world’s largest private collection of World War I aircraft and personal items that belonged to aviators from that era, including Red Baron von Richtofen.

Scale:

• New Zealand is responsible for 9 per cent of the world’s airspace (Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand).
• New Zealand’s aviation industry generated $9.7 billion in revenue, including $3.8 billion in exports in 2009. The industry is conservatively estimated to grow to $12.6 billion by 2015.