Air New Zealand’s new non-stop service between Auckland (AKL)–Newark (EWR) via 787-9 Dreamliner will launch October 2020. To make room for the route, Air New Zealand had to drop its Los Angeles (LAX)–London (LHR) service, ending October 2020.
According to Jeff McDowall, acting chief executive officer, Air New Zealand, the farewell to such an iconic route was a difficult choice, but the airline must remain focused on markets with the greatest opportunity for long-term profitable growth.
“Air New Zealand is strongest when operating direct flights to and from our home base and this reset will put us in the best possible position to take advantage of increasing demand across the Pacific Rim. Visitor growth to New Zealand is strongest from North America and performance of our new service to Chicago is exceeding expectations. New York has been an aspiration for Air New Zealand for some time and withdrawal from the Atlantic will free up aircraft capacity to make this milestone a reality,” said McDowall.
Air New Zealand will fly the new Auckland route with Star Alliance partner United Airlines. With a hub at Newark Liberty International Airport, the three-times weekly, year-round flight will fly United’s latest configuration Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
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