Air New Zealand (Air NZ) has signed a conditional agreement to sell its Blenheim-based aviation maintenance subsidiary Safe Air to Airbus Group Australia Pacific.

The carrier says the sale is expected to be completed in July. It declined to provide details of the transaction, citing confidentially issues.

Safe Air provides engineering support for military and commercial customers, including the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), while Airbus Group Australia Pacific is a major supplier to the Australian Defence Forces and a civil helicopter retailer.

“Airbus Group is highly regarded in the aviation industry and, as a world-class military service provider, is closely aligned with the services Safe Air undertakes,” adds Air NZ's chief operations officer Bruce Parton.

Besides its main facility in Blenheim, Safe Air also has operations at RNZAF's Ohakea and Whenuapai airbases, as well as Melbourne in Australia.

Source: Cirium Dashboard