Air New Zealand ordered two turboprops ATR 72-600 and two single-aisle Airbus A321neo that it will receive in its fleet from the end of 2024.
In response to strong demand on the airline’s regional network, these two additional 68-seat ATR 72-600 aircraft will increase capacity by more than 5,700 seats per week and fly customers to regional destinations such as Tauranga and Nelson.
The two new 214-seat Airbus A321neos will be configured for international flights and will serve Tasmanian and Pacific Island routes. They will add more than 9,000 seats per week to the network, ensuring the New Zealand airline has more capacity than any other airline across Tasmania.
” Flights continue to be in high demand, here and around the world, and that means prices have been higher than usual. The most effective thing we can do to help our customers is to welcome more planes into our fleet and put more seats in the sky“said Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran. “Although adding additional seats is a big part of lowering prices, as with all New Zealand businesses, our costs continue to rise significantly in many areas, and the reality is that there is little air fares likely to return to pre-pandemic levels“.
With these future deliveries, Air New Zealand will have a total of 16 new aircraft joining its fleet between 2024 and 2028, including eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners, six Airbus A321s and two ATR 72-600s. It will soon announce further details on a leased Boeing 777-300ER, which will add an additional 3,000 seats per week to its international network. This will bring its total fleet of 777-300s to eight.
