Air New Zealand says it is to start services from Auckland to Vancouver as the carrier starts to use its NZ$1.7 billion ($1.2 billion) investment in Boeing 777 aircraft.
The 13h45m non-stop 777-200ER flight will initially operate thrice-weekly from 2 November this year until March 2008 and underlines the New Zealand-based airline”s annual commitment to launch at least one long-haul international destination.
The seasonal timing has been designed to coincide with peak travel between both destinations as Canadians look to escape winter and New Zealanders seek ski holidays in the northern hemisphere.
”We are committing aircraft, sales teams and considerable marketing spend to making this a profitable addition to our network,” said Air New Zealand group general manager international airline, Ed Sims. ”Our previous [new] long-haul international destinations of Auckland to San Francisco and Shanghai have bookings that exceed expectations.
”We also introduced our second daily service from the UK in November, 2006, flying east via Hong Kong ” we”re sure the Vancouver route will be similarly successful.”
Air New Zealand adds that at any one time, it is considering more than 20 routes as part of its long-term growth strategy.