In great news for trans-Tasman travel, Air New Zealand has announced it will increase capacity to most of its Australian ports commencing October 2023.
The big boost will see the airline grow its overall trans-Tasman offering by 22 per cent between October 2023 and March 2024, compared with the same period last year.
The Wellington-Melbourne link will see the biggest rise, with a 38 per cent increase, while Wellington-Sydney will also grow by seven per cent.
During this period, Air NZ will upgrade Brisbane to Christchurch and Wellington services by 25 per cent each, the equivalent of 25,000 extra seats.
The national carrier will also boost seats on flights from Auckland to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Hobart.
Additionally, Air New Zealand has announced it will return its own aircraft and crew to daily services between Perth and Auckland on 29 October after Spanish airline Wamos Air temporarily operated the route for Air NZ.
New neos
From late 2024, Air New Zealand will fly two new A321 neo aircraft on its trans-Tasman and Pacific island services.
Adding more than 9,000 seats per week across the network, the new 214-seat jets are the most fuel-efficient narrowbody aircraft currently available.
Elsewhere, the carrier has bought two extra 68-seat ATR aircraft, which will up domestic capacity by almost 5,000 seats per week.
The four new planes boost Air New Zealand’s total aircraft order to 16 – comprising eight B787s and six A320/A321s – with all planes scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2028.
Globally, Air New Zealand will fly 560,000 extra seats across its network compared with the previous year for the northern winter period.
“Already, Air New Zealand has more capacity and flights across the Tasman than any other airline and our additional seats in time for summer, along with the arrival of new aircraft, will see that increase further,” Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said.
“For Australians heading across the ditch, the New Zealand experience starts the moment they step onboard with Air New Zealand and receive our world famous manaaki (care).
“We’re proud to offer Australians an exceptional experience at competitive fares. We look forward to welcoming even more of our Aussie neighbours onboard from October.”
Profits soar
Air New Zealand has announced its FY23 results, reporting a statutory profit before tax of NZ$574 million (AU$529m) and total operating revenue of NZ$6.3 billion. This marks increases of 171 per cent and 132 per cent respectively.
In announcing its results, the airline reported international capacity had returned to 71 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and domestic capacity had returned to 94 per cent.
Air NZ says the profit will help fund aircraft, facilities, and digital investments.
View the full financial report here.
