Air New Zealand is boosting capacity to Japan, adding 30,000 seats to its Tokyo route between November and March as part of a big push into Asia.
Chief executive Greg Foran said the airline will fly more
Boeing 777 aircraft to Japan in response to increased demand.
“Japan is an incredibly important visitor market for the New
Zealand tourism industry, so additional seats over our busiest season means
more inbound travel from Japan,” he said.
“Adding the 777 to more of our Tokyo services means that
there are more seats available in premium cabins and that customers may
experience our newly refreshed aircraft, which includes new seat covers and
updated soft products like pillows and blankets.”
The move coincides with the government’s trade and tourism
push into Japan, of which Foran is a part.
The national carrier is expanding in key markets across
Asia, adding more than 55,000 seats on services to Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo
between November 2024 and March 2025.
There will be a higher number of premium seats to all three
destinations, with Foran saying they are “incredibly popular” with customers
travelling on these routes.
Foran said the extra capacity will support the New Zealand
tourism industry as it welcomes back more tourists from Asia in the wake of
Covid-related travel restrictions.
Last year, New Zealand recorded 51,000 arrivals from Japan –
around half the number of arrivals before restrictions were introduced.
Conversely, the number of Kiwis visiting Japan has increased, in large part as
a result of the weak Japanese yen.
Prime Minister Christoper Luxon said New Zealand and Japan
have long-standing connections, particularly in tourism.
“Pre-covid we welcomed over 100,000 visitors from Japan
every year so it’s great to see air travel capacity increasing again, providing
an important boost to New Zealand’s economy.”
In April, Air New Zealand announced its return to Hobart and
Seoul and added premium seats on routes to Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo by
replacing 787 aircraft with a larger 777-300.
Most of the additional 30,000 seats on the Tokyo route will
be in the business premier and premium economy cabins, while just over half of
the 20,000 extra seats on the Singapore route will be in premium cabins. There
will be 7500 additional premium seats to Taipei.
However, the airline also extended the pause on its non-stop
service to Chicago until the second half of 2025 due to ongoing challenges with
the availability of serviceable Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, which is
impacting airlines around the world.
These are the engines used on Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787 aircraft.