Air New Zealand named Walmart US boss Greg Foran as its new CE on Friday, bringing him back home at a time the airline is trying to control costs in a lower-growth environment. New Zealand-born Foran is credited with turning around Walmart Inc’s US business as its president and CEO since 2014, with the unit reporting 20 quarters of comparable sales growth under his leadership. Air NZ Chairman Therese Walsh said the carrier was “thrilled to have attracted a world class Kiwi back home.” “Greg has an impeccable track record in delivering strong commercial performance, outstanding customer focus and in building teams that can take a business to the next level,” Walsh said. Grant Williamson, investment adviser at Hamilton Hindin Greene in Christchurch, said snagging Foran was a coup for the carrier. “In the short term, it’s not going to have a major impact on earnings, there’s bigger things moving in the background like oil prices and global growth,” Williamson said. Air New Zealand shares were marginally higher at NZ$2.85 on Friday. “But in terms of someone to have a steady hand on the wheel for Air New Zealand going forward, I don’t think they could do much better,” Williamson added. Foran, who boosted Walmart’s sales by focusing on improving existing stores to keep costs and prices low, said he looked forward to building on Air NZ’s competitive advantage in customer focus and care. The airline is known overseas for its quirky safety videos and consistently ranks highly in global airline customer surveys.<br/>
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Slovenian carrier Adria Airways' receiver has invited interested parties to bid to purchase assets of the collapsed airline. The formal tender states that the bankruptcy administrator, Janez Pustaticnik, is offering the entirety, or part, of Adria Airways for sale. It says that participants in the process must submit their offers no later than 10 November, and that bidders will be informed of the outcome within 15 days of the deadline's expiring.<br/>
Farm-to-table dining may now be a ubiquitous food concept, but farm-to-plane cuisine is just taking off. Singapore Airlines' new produce-heavy meal service, which launched on October 1, allows business class passengers on the 19-hour Newark to Singapore route to enjoy a fresh treat. Partnering with AeroFarms -- an indoor farm where food is produced in vertically stacked layers that's located just miles from Newark-Liberty International Airport -- Singapore Airlines is delivering a high-quality dining experience that's also the absolute freshest it can be. Passengers won't find any limp, tasteless produce on board this carrier. Singapore Airlines introduced the farm-to-plane idea internally almost two years ago with a two-fold purpose, according to the airline's food and beverage director, Antony McNeil. "We wanted to be more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint by using hyper-local produce, and we wanted the in-flight food to taste as vibrant as possible," he says. "We're always trying to innovate when it comes to on-board dining so AeroFarms was a great fit." AeroFarms, founded in 2004, isn't new, but its agricultural approach is pioneering. Greens are managed from seed to package and sold to select retailers and restaurant groups under the brand name Dream Greens. The indoor farming practice utilizes 95% less water than field-farmed food, and boasts a much higher yield. The Singapore Airlines partnership is the latest venture for the environmentally responsible farm.<br/>