Air New Zealand is the national carrier of New Zealand.Founded in 1941 as Tasman Empire Airways limited, it has been a member of the Star Alliance since 1999.
Fleet[]
As of April 2019, Air New Zealand and its subsidiaries operate 113 aircraft. The Air New Zealand mainline fleet consists of Boeing jet aircraft for long-haul flights and Airbus jet aircraft for domestic and short-haul flights. Air New Zealand's two wholly owned subsidies, Mount Cook Airline and Air Nelson, operate ATR-72 and Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 turboprop aircraft respectively.
Air New Zealand utilises 7 Boeing 777-300ERs and 8 777-200ERs in it's long haul fleet, not taking into account the one 777-300ER currently being leased by EVA Air. The 777-300ERs are primarily used for flights to America, including Air New Zealand's flagship route to London Heathrow via Los Angeles. 777-200ERs are used on a larger variety of routes, including those such as Hong Kong, Rarotonga, Pape'ete and Sydney.
Air New Zealand became the launch customer of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in 2014, also being the first airline to select a Rolls-Royce power-plant on the type. As of September 2019, Air New Zealand operates 13 787s, including two ex-Boeing test aircraft. Their last 787-9 reportedly due in October.
In the holiday period of 2017 and 2018, Air New Zealand suffered two engine failures onboard 787-9 Dreamliners within a short timeframe. This was caused by low durability in the fanblades of the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 turbofan engines selected by the airline, and as result, mass groundings occurred by regulation for all airlines operating the type with Rolls-Royce engines, causing an increased frequency of airframe checks significantly. At any one time, three Air New Zealand 787s would be grounded for airframe checks, leading to the airline's decision to wet-lease two A340-300s and an A330-200 from lease firm Hi-Fly Malta. In April of 2018 the decision was made to dry-lease two Singapore Airlines 777-200ERs and one EVA Air 777-300ER to cover for the 787s in the long term. As of September 2019 only the 777-300ER remains, due to return to EVA Air in March 2020.
Air New Zealand also became the first A320neo operator in the Oceanic region. The airline took delivery of their
first A321neo in October 2018, adorning their renowned all black 'black beauty' livery. The first A320neo was delivered to the airline later, in February 2019. The fleet currently consists of 6 A321neos and 3 A320neos, with a further 3 A320neos due and 8 A321neos due.
The A320neos are destined to replace the 14 A320ceos currently used on short-haul international flights to destinations in Australia and the Pacific. A further 16 aircraft are used exclusively on domestic flights between Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown and Wellington.
In June of 2019 Air New Zealand announced an order of 8 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners to replace the ageing 777-200ER fleet. Deliveries are due in 2023, some reports saying Boeing will offer a range extension to the airline.
Accidents and incidents[]
Air New Zealand has been involved in seven accidents and incidents, including four hull loss accidents.
Flight | Date | Aircraft | Location | Cause | Number on board | Fatalities | Serious injuries | Minor injuries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ZK-NZB | July 4, 1966 | Douglas DC-8-52 | Auckland Airport, New Zealand | Pilot error | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
TE103 | December 22, 1978 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | Pacific Ocean | Navigational disorientation | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NZ4374 | February 17, 1979 | Fokker F27 Friendship | Auckland, New Zealand | Controlled flight into terrain | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
TE901 | November 28, 1979 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | Mt. Erebus, Antarctica | Controlled flight into terrain | 257 | 257 | 0 | 0 |
TE24 | May 19, 1987 | Boeing 747-200 | Nadi International Airport, Fiji | Hijacking | 129 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NZ2279 | February 8, 2009 | British Aerospace Jetstream | Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand | Hijacking | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
X4888T | November 27, 2008 | Airbus A320-232 | Mediterranean Sea near France | Loss of control in low-speed stall due to pitot tube icing | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Destinations[]
City | Airport | IATA | ICAO | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Buenos Aires, Argentina | Ministro Pistarini International Airport | EZE | SAEZ | |
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | Adelaide Airport | ADL | YPAD | |
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Brisbane Airport | BNE | YBBN | |
Cairns, Queensland, Australia | Cairns Airport | CNS | YBCS | Seasonal |
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia | Gold Coast Airport | OOL | YBCG | |
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Melbourne Airport | MEL | YMML | |
Norfolk Island, Australia | Norfolk Island Airport | NLK | YSNF | Only operated from Brisbane and Sydney. |
Perth, Western Australia, Australia | Perth Airport | PER | YPPH | |
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia | Sunshine Coast Airport | MCY | YBSU | Seasonal |
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Sydney Airport | SYD | YSSY | |
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Vancouver International Airport | YVR | CYVR | |
Shanghai, China | Shanghai Pudong International Airport | PVG | ZSPD | |
Rarotonga, Cook Islands | Rarotonga International Airport | RAR | NCRG | |
Nadi, Fiji | Nadi International Airport | NAN | NFFN | |
Papeete, French Polynesia | Fa'a'ā International Airport | PPT | NTAA | |
Hong Kong | Hong Kong International Airport | HKG | VHHH | |
Denpasar, Indonesia | Ngurah Rai International Airport | DPS | WADD | Seasonal |
Osaka, Japan | Kansai International Airport | KIX | RJBB | Seasonal |
Tokyo, Japan | Narita International Airport | NRT | RJAA | |
Noumea, New Caledonia | La Tontouta International Airport | NOU | NWWW | |
Auckland, New Zealand | Auckland Airport | AKL | NZAA | Hub |
Christchurch, New Zealand | Christchurch International Airport | CHC | NZCH | Hub |
Dunedin, New Zealand | Dunedin Airport | DUD | NZDN | |
Invercargill, New Zealand | Invercargill Airport | IVC | NZNV | |
Queenstown, New Zealand | Queenstown Airport | ZQN | NZQN | Hub |
Wellington, New Zealand | Wellington International Airport | WLG | NZWN | Hub |
Alofi, Niue | Niue International Airport | IUE | NIUE | |
Apia, Samoa | Faleolo International Airport | APW | NSFA | |
Singapore | Singapore Changi Airport | SIN | WSSS | Additional flights in winter. |
Seoul, South Korea | Incheon International Airport | ICN | RKSI | Begins November 23, 2019 |
Taipei, Taiwan | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport | TPE | RCTP | |
Nuku'alofa, Tonga | Fua'amoto International Airport | TBU | NFTF | |
London, England, United Kingdom | London Heathrow International Airport | LHR | EGLL | |
Chicago, Illinois, United States | Chicago O'Hare International Airport | ORD | KORD | |
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Daniel K. Inouye International Airport | HNL | PHNL | |
Houston, Texas, United States | George Bush Intercontinental Airport | IAH | KIAH | |
Los Angeles, California, United States | Los Angeles International Airport | LAX | KLAX | Focus city |
San Francisco, California, United States | San Francisco International Airport | SFO | KSFO |