Air New Zealand (NZ) CEO Greg Foran says the national carrier’s international network capacity is back to around 91 per cent of pre-Covid levels, with the airline set to fly 4.5 million seats across 39 international routes between March and October this year.
Addressing media delegates at TRENZ in Christchurch, Mr Foran said, “It’s been tough, but the best is ahead of us.” and that since first getting back in the air, the plan has been to “Restart better.”
“Across our international network, capacity is back to about 91 per cent of pre-Covid, and bookings are steady,” he said.
Mr Foran went on to share the positive news that NZ’s North American network is now close to pre-Covid levels, with more seats to Houston, San Francisco, and Vancouver.
“Our New York route is special and a valuable and promising market for New Zealand. The route has demonstrated strong demand since its launch in September and presents untapped potential for us to attract high-value customers and showcase the best of what our country has to offer.”
Later this year, the airline’s alliance partner, United Airlines, will launch new routes from San Francisco-Christchurch and Los Angeles-Auckland, further growing North America’s capacity.
Air New Zealand’s capacity on its Asia network is sitting at 117 per cent of pre-Covid levels, with Singapore remaining a key hub, particularly for connecting to India and Europe.
While Chinese arrivals to New Zealand are still sitting at only 6 per cent versus 2019 levels, Mr Foran said demand out of China is slowly rebuilding, with the airline’s alliance partner, Air China, recently restarting its Beijing-Auckland route and NZ back to flying Shanghai daily.
Capacity on Air New Zealand’s Tasman and Pacific Island network, however, is nearing pre-Covid levels.
The airline’s domestic network is also back to pre-Covid levels with 5,000 seats a week added to Christchurch services and an additional 6,000 seats added on regional flights out of Auckland and to main centres.
Major fleet investment incoming
Air New Zealand will also make a significant investment in its fleet, capacity and marketing to “improve the flying experience for customers and support New Zealand’s tourism industry”.
The investment includes NZ$3.5 billion in the purchase of eight new 787-9 Dreamliners and five Airbus A320neo aircraft to add more seats on the Tasman and Pacific Island services.
This includes the interior refurbishment of its 14 Boeing 787 aircraft, including the airline’s new Business Premier Luxe and refreshed cabins, with work expected to start next year.
The airline is also in final negotiations to secure another Boeing 777-300ER, which could add 3,000 more seats per week to the airline’s international network. This would bring the total 777-300 fleet to eight.
“Our fleet investment, capacity update, and marketing spend represent a significant commitment to New Zealand’s tourism industry. By investing in new and retrofitted aircraft, adding more seats to our international routes, and increasing our marketing presence in key markets, we’re making it even easier for visitors to tick New Zealand off their bucket lists,” said Mr Foran.
Air New Zealand will also invest $30 million in marketing campaigns this financial year in key markets alongside Tourism New Zealand to target high-quality visitors to travel to New Zealand.
“We know it’s not just about bringing overseas visitors to New Zealand but also giving them plenty of options to explore around Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Air New Zealand also announced more details of how their new world’s first Skynest sleep pods will work, scheduled to begin flying on the ultra-long-haul routes in September 2024.
Last week, the airline announced news of a major upgrade to its crew wardrobe and plane livery as the carrier searches for a new uniform designer and says “ta-ta” to the last of its aircraft in teal blue.
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