Air New Zealand and Air China up NZ-China capacity

Air China, Boeing, 787, Dreamliner, Landing at Auckland International Airport, New Zealand, 11 December 2019

Kiwis keen on a trip to China and Chinese citizens excited to visit New Zealand are sorted because two major airlines have upped capacity between the two nations.

Air New Zealand will resume daily flights to Shanghai, while Air China will begin offering four-times weekly flights from Beijing to Auckland from today.

The two airlines are alliance partners and the increased capacity means there will be a combined 6500 seats a week between Auckland and China.

“China is an incredibly important inbound visitor market, and we expect interest in visiting New Zealand to continue to grow among Chinese travellers,” said Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty.

“Our strategic alliance with Air China provides additional capacity and improved connectivity, helping us to meet demand and showcase New Zealand as a world-class tourism destination.”

407,000 visitors from China went to New Zealand in 2019, making it the country’s second-largest international visitor market after Australia.

Another Chinese carrier, Hainan Airlines, will return to the market and operate two services a week to Shenzen, while China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines are already operating out of Auckland.

The only airline that is yet to announce plans to return to New Zealand is Sichuan Airlines, which operated flights between Auckland and Chengdu prior to the pandemic.


Featured Image: Air China, Boeing, 787, Dreamliner, Landing at Auckland International Airport, New Zealand, 11 December 2019 (iStock/Russell Hendry)

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