1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,759 Speaker 1: Oh man, it was a tough old year for Air 2 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: New Zealand, wasn't it. The national Airline's been struggling to 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: make a buck. It's been slammed for the ticket prices, 4 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: it's dealt with the global engine issues. It's got itself 5 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: into a massive scrap with Auckland Airport and the man 6 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: in charge, Greg FOURU is with us now morning. 7 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 2: Greg, good morning, how are you well? 8 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,959 Speaker 1: Thanks very much? Out of ten how tough has this 9 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: year been? 10 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 2: Well? The good news is we've still got cookie time cokies, 11 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 2: so we'll be pleased about that. I heard you're talking 12 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 2: about termy tams. But yeah, look, we're doing a good 13 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 2: job with the cookies. The rest of it. Actually, I 14 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 2: think it's doing pretty well. The team that I think 15 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,279 Speaker 2: are doing a great job. As we get into Christmas, 16 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 2: plenty of things we've been dealing with. I've just got 17 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 2: back from a week overseas finding out how difficult the 18 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 2: supply chain is, and it's certainly keeping us on our toes. 19 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 1: Now, this is the supply chain, read the engine getting 20 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: new planes? Is that what it is? 21 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, sort of everything hither. You know, when you 22 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 2: sit down and your talk with the people running Rolls 23 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: Royce and Nearbus and Safra, which is a major supplier, 24 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 2: and they tell you about how difficult they're found it 25 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 2: trying to get skilled labor from COVID, you know, returning 26 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 2: from COVID. They're dealing with wars in Ukraine, which has 27 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 2: not only seen material put into military activity but also people. 28 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 2: They're dealing with inflation, they're dealing with increased regulatory environments. 29 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 2: And then finally, you know the supply base, which is 30 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 2: thousands of suppliers looking after the aviation industry has never 31 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 2: really recovered, so you know, going a year's behind Airbus. 32 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 2: You can't get a new plane un till twenty thirty one, 33 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 2: et cetera, et cetera. So challenging, but we're getting on 34 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 2: with it. And the good news is I saw our 35 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 2: first retrofit plane. It's halfway through. It's retrofit in Singapore, 36 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 2: and that's looking good. 37 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: Oh good. Now, listen the thing that is getting the 38 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: goes of your customers. I reckon it's a pricing. Obviously, 39 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: I think we all realize prices have gone up, but 40 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: I reckon it might actually be the on time performance. 41 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: Do you reckon you can fix that? 42 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 2: I can tell you. We are doing everything we can, 43 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 2: and I'd go a step further and say to you 44 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 2: on time. Actually, cancelations is the thing that gives me 45 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 2: the greatest concern at the moment. Too many flights are 46 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 2: getting canceled. Yeah, we're doing everything that we can. A 47 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 2: fair amount of it is just simply getting the parts. 48 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 2: We often have to wait for an aircraft to be 49 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 2: what they call on ground aircraft on ground AOG before 50 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 2: the supply will release a part to us. Now we're 51 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 2: working hard on those things. We've got to do better, 52 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,679 Speaker 2: and I do apologize because it's not where we want 53 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 2: it to be. Too many flights something. 54 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: Great, because everybody is dealing with the same stuff that 55 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,639 Speaker 1: you are. I mean, obviously to varying degrees. But how 56 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: came your cancelation rate is more than double jetstars. 57 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 2: Well, it's not actually on the same routes that we 58 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:59,119 Speaker 2: run in the same aircraft. So when you actually break 59 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 2: it down and say what's your cancelation rate on your 60 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 2: jets where they operate, Yeah, that's different to what it 61 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: is on the turbo props. Now, the turbo props, we're 62 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 2: finding it more difficult to get part and those planes 63 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 2: are also spread out more around the country, so we've 64 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 2: got to get engineersed places. But actually, on a like 65 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 2: for life basis, our cancelation rate is actually the same 66 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 2: as jetsta. 67 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. I mean, if you're if you're a 68 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 1: customer in I don't know, let's say Napier and you're 69 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: catching a smaller plane, doesn't really matter what the plane is, right, 70 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: You're still getting canceled. 71 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 2: I agree with you. I don't disagree for a customer 72 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 2: and when you're cancel and when you're this. 73 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: Is the thing I dot iBook you in New Zealand 74 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: because I like, in my head, I like the luxury 75 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: of it, right, so I'm expecting a better service. 76 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I accept we've got to get on top 77 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 2: of that, Heather, and I can tell you we're working 78 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 2: really really hard to do it, to get everything that 79 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 2: we can. So we get this thing operating well most 80 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 2: times we do. But when we don't apologize for. 81 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: That, Hey, are you going to go back to London? 82 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 2: We will. Actually the question is when we actually put 83 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 2: in for some slots we didn't expect to get them, 84 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 2: slots of the ability to land and take off, you 85 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 2: get the gap wet ones gatwork came back and said yes, 86 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 2: and they said, look, you can start in April next year. 87 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 2: That got us excited initially, but of course the problem 88 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 2: I've got is I haven't got any planes. I was 89 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 2: talking to the chief executive at barn Kelly. He's a 90 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 2: new chaplain in charge. I was over there four weeks 91 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 2: ago meeting with him. We're desperately trying to get these planes. 92 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 2: We're working hard on doing that, but you know, we 93 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 2: have to be in the queue along with United and 94 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 2: Delta and CAFA and British Airways, and we were in 95 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 2: that queue. But we expect to get those planes the 96 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 2: beginning of twenty twenty six, so they're still over a 97 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 2: year away, and in sometime that year, with a bit 98 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 2: of luck, we'll be able to get London and back up. 99 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: And right, are there any days where you regret coming 100 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: back from Walmart to New Zealand to do this and 101 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: now you've been lumped with this company? 102 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 2: You know, it's not a question that I actually consider, 103 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 2: to be honest with you, hea it You know, when 104 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 2: you're in it, you just got to get on with it. 105 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 2: And it has been interesting, hasn't it. You know? I 106 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 2: started the day we stopped flowing to Shanghai. Five weeks later, 107 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:26,159 Speaker 2: we closed the airline down. Basically, apart from repatriation in cargo, 108 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 2: was two and a half years doing a capital raise. 109 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 2: We then went flat out trying to get the thing 110 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 2: open again quickly, and then we've had supply chain issues 111 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 2: and engine problems. But that's okay, you get on with it. 112 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 2: And you know, we did get voted by customers as 113 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 2: the best airline in the world three months ago, and 114 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 2: I'm really proud of the team for doing that. And 115 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 2: you know, I came back on a bunch of other 116 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 2: airlines this week. You know, I've been in Europe and 117 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 2: I can tell you we stand up very very well, 118 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 2: very well. The quality of our food, our service, way 119 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 2: that our team look after our customers. I would put 120 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 2: them against anyone out there. 121 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: I'll tell you what, Greek. The one thing you guys 122 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: have got going for is you have an excellent team. Listen, 123 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: thank you very much, Enjoy your Christmas Abyss of black 124 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: next year, that's Greek Foreign in New Zealand CEO. For 125 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks. 126 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 2: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 127 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio.