Air New Zealand’s inaugural Singapore-Christchurch service takes flight

Air New Zealand’s inaugural flight between Singapore and Christchurch took off from Changi Airport on December 1, 2019, marking the start of its five times weekly seasonal service, which will operate until February 22, 2020.

The inaugural flight departed at 6.40 pm and landed in Christchurch around 9.35 am (all times local). The services will be operated with Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, offering increased capacity across its cabins.

Air New Zealand’s Head of South and South East Asia, Jenni Martin, who travelled on the inaugural service, said the launch of the airline’s Singapore-Christchurch seasonal service will further support the growing demand for travel to New Zealand from the market, where it sees Singaporeans showing a strong interest in the stunning attractions New Zealand has to offer.

“Singapore is amongst the top countries for visitor arrivals to New Zealand and we expect the numbers to rise further. As of September 2019, data from Stats NZ revealed a 5.7% year-on-year increase in visitor arrivals from Singapore, which presents a significant tourism growth opportunity for the New Zealand economy. The new service is the latest addition to Air New Zealand’s network covering 32 international cities in 20 countries, providing our customers with enhanced connectivity as we leverage Singapore’s prime position as a key regional air hub,” she added.

The increased demand has translated into strong performance on Air New Zealand’s flights, which saw a 116% jump in the number of passengers on its New Zealand-Singapore routes between July 2019 and November 2019, compared to the same period last year. Similarly, the airline’s Singapore-New Zealand routes grew by 68.7%.

The launch of the seasonal service follows recent plans to increase capacity between Auckland and Singapore from end-March to October, commencing in 2020, as part of the joint venture alliance between Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.