On May 2, Air New Zealand’s alliance partner Air China touched down in Auckland for the first time in three years, giving Air New Zealand customers a direct route to Beijing – the world’s most populous capital city. As of May 3, Air New Zealand’s Auckland-Shanghai flights return to a daily schedule.
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said the resumption of the Beijing-Auckland route and daily flights to Shanghai were major milestones for the airline and for New Zealand’s tourism industry as capacity to and from China ramps back up.
“We’re thrilled to welcome our alliance partner Air China back to New Zealand and extend our Shanghai route to daily. China is a key market for us and the New Zealand tourism industry. The return of this route will help connect even more Chinese visitors with the amazing experiences New Zealand has to offer,” Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said.
A combination of the two services will deliver around 6,500 seats a week between Auckland and China.
Pre-pandemic, China was New Zealand’s second-largest international visitor market, with 450,000 visitors in 2019 and one of the most valuable in terms of holiday visitor spend, bringing in NZ$1.5 billion (£0.74 billion).
The resumption of the Beijing-Auckland route is part of a strategic alliance between Air New Zealand and Air China.
