Extended Joint Venture On The Cards For Singapore Airlines And Air New Zealand

Two Star-Alliance carriers are set to continue their extensive partnership with Air New Zealand across Asia and the South Pacific. Singapore Airlines has received re-authorization to continue their joint venture alliance between New Zealand and Singapore. The agreement extends their joint venture and will continue until March 2029. The continued collaboration between the carriers will benefit both parties with extensive codeshare agreements throughout their networks.

In effect for ten years already, the airlines have grown the capacity between the two countries by almost 50%, with up to three daily services between Auckland and Singapore, alongside a daily service to Christchurch, which was increased to ten weekly over the recent Southern Hemisphere summer.

Air New Zealand currently operates a daily service between Auckland and the Lion City (Singapore) onboard its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which is then accompanied by two services on Singapore Airlines metal, one facilitated by the A350-900 and the second onboard the Airbus A380-800.

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Up to four daily services next summer

Subject to regulatory approval, the joint venture will see another daily service added between Auckland and Singapore between October 2024 and March 2025, giving travelers more choices to travel between the two cities, stimulating more trade and tourism, and a more comprehensive selection of customer options. Celebrating the regulatory approval, Mike Williams, Air New Zealand Chief Transformation and Alliances Officer, released this statement:

“Since the alliance was launched at the beginning of 2015, the two flag carriers have together carried over 4.6 million passengers between New Zealand, Singapore and beyond. The partnership gives New Zealanders access to the world on Singapore Airlines’ vast network beyond the Singapore gateway into destinations in Europe, India and Southeast Asia. With the partnership extended for a further five years, together with Singapore Airlines, we can continue to stimulate trade and tourism, and provide customers with greater choice and connectivity.”

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

Considering its current three daily services to Auckland and daily connection to Christchurch, it translates to 38 return services every week between New Zealand and Singapore, providing up to 893,000 seats and providing the only direct link between the two countries.

A380 to Auckland

Singapore Airlines once again deployed its Airbus A380 aircraft to Auckland for the first time since the pandemic. It is scheduled to do so until March 2024, making the airline one of just two carriers to operate the superjumbo to the country. The other is Emirates, which sends the double-decker daily to Auckland and Christchurch.

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

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