Issue 372: Black Magic

Air NZ waves the wand on long-distance ambitions

New Zealand’s geographical remoteness lends itself to recordbreaking, long distance flights. The Auckland- Doha non-stop by Qatar Airways is the secondlongest travelled by any airline in the world. Air New Zealand’s announcement at the end of May that it has signed a letter of intent to buy eight Boeing 787-10s, with an option for a further 12 aircraft, to replace eight ageing 777-200ERs, confirmed its intentions to become a serious player in the ultra long-haul club.

Cementing this ambition is the fact the option deal includes the flexibility to toggle between 787-9 aircraft and 787-10s, depending on market conditions and routes chosen during the delivery cycle of 2022-2027. New York was foremost on Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon’s mind when announcing the new widebody fleet.