Following the New Zealand government’s decision to gradually reopen its borders, Air New Zealand announced that it will reopen 27 international routes by 2022.
The government will reopen its borders in five steps, giving priority to its nationals, and by mid-year will allow entry to all vaccinated foreigners. Based on this, Air New Zealand will initially re-launch those routes where there is the greatest demand for New Zealand passengers.
By July, only the most profitable and popular routes will be back, according to New Zealand’s Stuff. This involves reactivating the Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 777-300ERs that are in the U.S. desert.
Long-haul routes
Air New Zealand will reactivate flights from Auckland (AKL) to Singapore (SIN) next March 27; this will be followed by San Francisco (SFO), USA, on April 14. Houston (IAH) will return in July and Chicago (ORD) on September 30.
The long-haul routes will operate alongside flights to Taipei (TPE) in Taiwan; Seoul (ICN) in South Korea; Shanghai (PVG) in China; Hong Kong (HKG); Tokyo/Narita (NRT) in Japan; Vancouver (YVR) in Canada and Los Angeles (LAX) in the United States; which are already operating.
By the end of October, Osaka in Japan, and between Christchurch and Singapore will be added. The announcement makes no mention of an eventual return to Buenos Aires (EZE) in Argentina, the only destination they had in South America prior to the pandemic, and the only long-haul destination that would not be resumed for the time being.
“We have kept our operation ready for this. Over the past few months, it has been great to bring back some of our pilots and cabin crew who returned to training as of February 28, as we anticipate a return of global travel. We look forward to welcoming the tens of thousands of Kiwis who will soon be making plans to board our aircraft,” said Air New Zealand’s director of sales and customer service, Leanne Geraghty.
Return to tropical Pacific countries
Flights from Auckland to Honolulu, Tahiti, and New Caledonia will resume in July. Services from Wellington and Christchurch to Fiji will also resume that month. These flights will sit alongside Air New Zealand services to Rarotonga, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji, which are already operating.
Across the Tasman Sea, Air New Zealand is significantly expanding its operations, restarting 15 routes over the next five months.
That includes flights from Auckland to the Gold Coast restarting on March 2, and Adelaide, Cairns, Hobart, Sunshine Coast in July.
Also included is the resumption of flights from Wellington (capital of New Zealand), Christchurch to Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne in Australia from February 28. From the same Australian cities, connections to Queenstown will also resume on June 24 and 25.
By July 2022, the company will recover 72% of seat supply in the international market and 63% in ASK, according to the Cirium platform. The company has fourteen Boeing 787-9s, and due to the health crisis it had to retire all of its Boeing 777-200ERs, and in 2027 it will do the same with its seven Boeing 777-300ERs, which will be replaced by eight Boeing 787-10s.
In the regional and domestic fleet, it has 18 Airbus A320ceo, six Airbus A320neo, and seven Airbus A321neo, with seven more of the latter model pending delivery. It also has 23 De Havilland Dash 8-300s and 29 ATR 72-600s.
