New Zealand's Air National extends Jetstream Leases

Air National Corporate Ltd., New Zealand's Charter Airline, has extended the leases on both of its BAE Systems Jetstream 32EP aircraft.

The lease extension, announced today at the Australian Air Show at Avalon, south of Melbourne, further cements the relationship between BAE Systems and Air National and also endorses the Jetstream family of airliners as ideal aircraft for the diverse New Zealand market, which is characterised by long, low-density regional routes.

The two 19-seat Jetstreams are used by Air National for charter services and to provide additional capacity as required by scheduled airlines.

Air National introduced the first Jetstream 32EP to the New Zealand market in 1997, assigning the aircraft to operate scheduled flights for major carriers and also to operate in the busy Wellington charter market.

"The Jetstream 32EP is ideal for the New Zealand market, providing an economical and comfortable aircraft for provincial routes," said Air National Founder and Managing Director Ian Gray.

"This aircraft type has a stand-up cabin, the most spacious offered by any aircraft in the 19-seat category and has both internal cargo space and additional storage in a belly-mounted freight pod" said Gray.

He added, "It is ideally suited to the provincial markets of New Zealand, which are characterised by low-density routes of up to one hour's duration. By using a 19-seat aircraft on such routes, it is possible to operate frequent flights far more economically than larger competing airliner types."

David Ropper, Director of Sales and Leasing for BAE SYSTEMS Regional Aircraft, said the lease extension was a strong endorsement of the Jetstream 32 as the right size aircraft for regional New Zealand, and as a cost-effective option.

Air National has also extended the Material and Component Repair and Overhaul (MACRO) programme for the Jetstream 32s. MACRO provides operators a fixed maintenance cost including comprehensive spares support for a single fixed rate per aircraft flight hour.