Air New Zealand Biofuel Test Flight TODAY – Dial-in Facilities

-(Business Wire)-December 29, 2008 - Air New Zealand:

WHAT:		The world's first commercial aviation test flight powered by a sustainable second-generation biofuel will take place today in New Zealand. For media not in attendance, a pre-flight briefing with Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan is available today.

		The Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 will have one of its four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines powered by a biofuel blend derived from a second-generation biofuel plant - Jatropha Curcas.

WHO:		The Air New Zealand test flight is a joint initiative with partners Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell's UOP in commercial aviation's drive for more sustainable air travel for future generations. Captain Morgan will detail the various stages of the flight and the tests that will be undertaken to check the performance of the biofuel blend under a variety of operating conditions.

WHEN:		Please dial in at 1 p.m. PST today, December 29, 2008. The briefing will take approximately 20 minutes.

		USA Toll Free 1866 469 8380

		A replay of the briefing will be available approximately one hour after the completion of the briefing until close of business (NZ time) on January 7, 2009.

		Details as follows:

		International Metered + 61 2 8016 4509
		Passcode 125407#


WHY:		Air New Zealand and its partners have been non-negotiable about the three criteria any environmentally sustainable fuel must meet for the test flight program. These are social, technical and commercial. For more details on these criteria, visit www.airnz.com.