Air New Zealand adds flights to Shanghai

Air New Zealand said it is expanding its flight offerings to Shanghai from New Zealand. The airline increased its services to fly three times a week in early January and is moving to four passenger services a week from 4 February. This is double what Air New Zealand was flying at the end of last year. Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says the extra flight takes the weekly capacity to 1,200 seats. “Ramping up with an additional flight per week provides our customers with even more options for travel to this vibrant city.” Following the announcement of China reopening after nearly three years of restrictions, the airline has seen many people booking Shanghai flights to be with friends and family this Chinese New Year. “This will be the first Lunar New Year that Chinese living in Aotearoa can be reunited with their families for this special holiday,” said Geraghty. “We’re seeing very strong demand across January for our flights into China. Most flights are full or close to full.” New Zealand has long been a popular destination for Chinese travellers. Around 390,000 Chinese visited New Zealand in 2019, according to Tourism New Zealand. China was New Zealand’s second largest market by arrivals before COVID, comprising 11 percent of total arrivals. Chinese visitors spent $1.7 billion in 2019 – of which, $333 million was spent in the regions. “With the addition of these new flights, we hope to make it even easier for New Zealanders to experience all that Shanghai has to offer and tap into the pent-up demand of Chinese tourists into New Zealand,” Geraghty said. All flights between Shanghai and Auckland will be operated on Boeing 787. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]