The New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) is surprised with the move by Waikato based CTC Aviation's attempts to lure international flight instructors with cash incentives and first-home deposits. "In a recession and in a contracting industry there are flight training providers who are unable to keep employing instructors. We are very surprised that CTC is unable to find any NZ flight instructors" states NZALPA President Glen Kenny.

"NZALPA has been contacted by NZ graduates who are eager to be employed, and would therefore indicate the school had not exhausted the pool of kiwi instructors available" says Mr Kenny.

NZALPA had not yet received notification from the Labour Department of CTC Aviation's overseas recruitment plans, but we will ask CTC to demonstrate the shortage of recruitment options in New Zealand. "We do not accept there was a shortage, and hiring of local instructors should be encouraged" states Mr Kenny.

New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) President Glen Kenny is calling on the Government to enact a legislation change banning the importation of Class 3 Lasers to address the serious threat of laser illumination of commercial aircraft (laser strikes). "At best laser strikes are a distraction and at worst they can cause temporary blindness, or even permanent eye damage, and at a critical phase of flight, on approach and close to landing; this is extremely dangerous" says Mr Kenny.

The New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association is calling on the Government to include Justice Mahon’s Royal Commission report in the official international record of the events that lead to Air New Zealand flight 901’s collision with Mt Erebus. 

With the launch of Broadcaster Paul Holmes new book, “Daughters of Erebus” today, Pilots’ Association President, Glen Kenny says the official record of the investigation into the DC-10 crash on the side of Mt Erebus which killed 237 passengers and 20 crew members remains the report by then Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Ron Chippendale.

The country’s pilots say the Government’s just released Transport Policy Direction "Connecting New Zealand" ignores the biggest issue for the aviation sector – that New Zealand is failing to meet international minimum safety standards and our rules are falling further behind the rest of the world.

The Air Line Pilots’ Association is welcoming the High Court ruling that the Civil Aviation Authority’s random trawls through Pilot information held by the Ministry of Justice were unlawful and must stop.

The New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (NZALPA) is pleased to see that the final report into the Perpignan accident of November 28 2008 has been completed and released to the public said President Mark Rammell. We hope that the release of the report will provide some answers to the families of those lost as to how and why this accident occurred. Our thoughts are with those families as once again as the accident and events surrounding it come into the public arena.