romansandal
22nd Feb 2007, 19:50
NZPA | Friday, 23 February 2007
Air New Zealand said today it would open a direct link from Auckland to Vancouver in November.
Group general manager international Ed Sims said Canada had always been an extremely popular destination for New Zealanders.
The route would significantly grow tourism numbers between the two countries which already sees 46,000 Canadians visit New Zealand and 16,000 New Zealanders visit Canada annually, he said.
The reinstatement of the Vancouver link restores a route canned in the 90s.
The services will initially operate three times a week between November and March to coincide with the peak travel season between the two destinations, as Canadians escape winter and New Zealand skiers head to the Canadian slopes.
Mr Sims said Vancouver is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city that provides a convenient gateway to popular destinations such as Whistler, Calgary and the Canadian Rockies.
He said the new service was a significant undertaking for Air New Zealand.
The airline plans to open at least one new long haul international route each year.
Already it has added daily San Francisco flights, a second daily London service via Hong Kong, and a Shanghai service, all possible through the addition of new 777 aircraft.
Last year, Air NZ stopped direct flights to Singapore and cut back on flights to Los Angeles.
The new non-stop route will take 13 hours on a new Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
Air NZ is planning to attract Australian customers.
Air NZ has spent $1.7 billion on its 777 fleet and the new route is ideally suited to these aircraft, Mr Sims said.
Flights to Vancouver will begin on November 2 and run through until March 28, 2008. Return tickets from Auckland will cost from $2289.
Shares in Air NZ have doubled since last September as fuel prices drop and its business case improves.
The airline is nearing the end of a three-year overhaul of its fleet and operations, cutting unprofitable routes, costs, and jobs.
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe said the new service was expected to be profitable in its first season.
"We are pretty confident we will make money in our first season. There is already very strong demand and we have found from other markets as soon as you set up a direct service people gravitate towards it very quickly."
Mr Fyfe said the service would attract some new customers but many would be passengers transitting through Hawaii, San Francisco or Los Angeles.
He said a direct service would also motivate people to travel specifically to New Zealand.
The new service on the airline's new Boeing 777 aircraft would begin in the first week in November.
Mr Fyfe said the airline planned to announce a new international route every year.
Conservation Minister Chris Carter, who represented the Government as a major stakeholder in the airline, said the Canadian market had not been properly developed in the past, although there was a direct service for a short time in the early 1990s.
"Canadians are very interested in coming to New Zealand. We have got a really growing tourism market there.
"We are also looking at trying to recruit more and more skilled migrants from North America and while we have traditionally looked at California and the west coast of the United States, I think we have got an opportunity in Canada as well," Mr Carter said.
Air New Zealand said today it would open a direct link from Auckland to Vancouver in November.
Group general manager international Ed Sims said Canada had always been an extremely popular destination for New Zealanders.
The route would significantly grow tourism numbers between the two countries which already sees 46,000 Canadians visit New Zealand and 16,000 New Zealanders visit Canada annually, he said.
The reinstatement of the Vancouver link restores a route canned in the 90s.
The services will initially operate three times a week between November and March to coincide with the peak travel season between the two destinations, as Canadians escape winter and New Zealand skiers head to the Canadian slopes.
Mr Sims said Vancouver is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city that provides a convenient gateway to popular destinations such as Whistler, Calgary and the Canadian Rockies.
He said the new service was a significant undertaking for Air New Zealand.
The airline plans to open at least one new long haul international route each year.
Already it has added daily San Francisco flights, a second daily London service via Hong Kong, and a Shanghai service, all possible through the addition of new 777 aircraft.
Last year, Air NZ stopped direct flights to Singapore and cut back on flights to Los Angeles.
The new non-stop route will take 13 hours on a new Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
Air NZ is planning to attract Australian customers.
Air NZ has spent $1.7 billion on its 777 fleet and the new route is ideally suited to these aircraft, Mr Sims said.
Flights to Vancouver will begin on November 2 and run through until March 28, 2008. Return tickets from Auckland will cost from $2289.
Shares in Air NZ have doubled since last September as fuel prices drop and its business case improves.
The airline is nearing the end of a three-year overhaul of its fleet and operations, cutting unprofitable routes, costs, and jobs.
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe said the new service was expected to be profitable in its first season.
"We are pretty confident we will make money in our first season. There is already very strong demand and we have found from other markets as soon as you set up a direct service people gravitate towards it very quickly."
Mr Fyfe said the service would attract some new customers but many would be passengers transitting through Hawaii, San Francisco or Los Angeles.
He said a direct service would also motivate people to travel specifically to New Zealand.
The new service on the airline's new Boeing 777 aircraft would begin in the first week in November.
Mr Fyfe said the airline planned to announce a new international route every year.
Conservation Minister Chris Carter, who represented the Government as a major stakeholder in the airline, said the Canadian market had not been properly developed in the past, although there was a direct service for a short time in the early 1990s.
"Canadians are very interested in coming to New Zealand. We have got a really growing tourism market there.
"We are also looking at trying to recruit more and more skilled migrants from North America and while we have traditionally looked at California and the west coast of the United States, I think we have got an opportunity in Canada as well," Mr Carter said.