Air New Zealand will be offering the first ever non-stop service between New Zealand and New York with its inaugural flight taking off on October 29, 2020. Air New Zealand will be flying non-stop between Auckland and Newark Liberty International Airport starting October 2020 three times a week year-round using its 787-9 Dreamliner. The launch of this new route follows the airline’s decision to withdraw its daily Los Angeles-London service starting October 2020.
“Visitor growth to New Zealand is strongest from North America and performance of our new service to Chicago is exceeding expectations. New York has been an aspiration for Air New Zealand for some time and withdrawal from the Atlantic will free up aircraft capacity to make this milestone a reality,” said Air New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Officer Jeff McDowall in a statement.
The new service deepens the alliance between Air New Zealand and United Airlines and follows Air New Zealand’s successful launch of non-stop flights to United’s hub in Chicago in November 2018.
Air New Zealand will fly the route three times weekly, year-round, under its flagship flight numbers NZ1 southbound and NZ2 northbound. The service will be operated by Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft in its latest, premium-focused configuration.
From its East Coast gateway at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines operates more than 400 daily flights across the United States. The new service between Auckland and Newark will also provide customers with convenient onward connections to more than 90 destinations across the United States.
“Our non-stop flight will cut travel time by around three hours, putting New Zealand in easy reach of New York and the US Eastern Seaboard,” adds McDowall. “It’s terrific we can make a seamless journey a reality for Kiwis wanting to experience New York and Americans keen to explore New Zealand and we’ll work with United to grow the route and visitor numbers in both directions.”
