Air New Zealand A321neo Aircraft Auckland -Nadi Service in Jan, 2019
Air New Zealand has disclosed its new airbus A321neo aircraft will begin operating Auckland-Nadi-Auckland from January 30, 2019. The New Zealand national carrier took delivery of the first of 13 A321neo jets last week.
It will use these jets on its Tasman and Pacific Islands services.
Flights operated by the new aircraft are now available for purchase.
The aircraft is the first of 13 new Airbus neo aircraft to join Air New Zealand’s fleet.
It is expected to enter commercial service on 23 November operating flight NZ739 from Auckland to Brisbane.
A second A321neo is also expected to enter service in the coming weeks, while the majority of the remaining aircraft will follow at intervals through until late 2019, with the new fleet eventually replacing the airline’s A320s that currently operate Tasman and Pa- cific Island services.
An additional seven Airbus A321neos are for anticipated domestic network growth. The total value of the two aircraft orders is NZ$2.8 billion (FJ$ 4 bn). A statement released by Air NZ said the A321 can carry 214 passengers - 46 more than the airline’s current A320 fleet.
Air New Zealand chief executive officer Christopher Luxon said: “The arrival of the new fleet is a significant step in the airline’s short haul strategy.”
“Australia and the Pacific Islands are a vitally important part of our Pacific Rim network.
“We operate up to 240 services each week with our Airbus narrow body aircraft.
“These new aircraft are key to enabling us to grow our short haul network while offering our customers a great inflight experience.” Air New Zealand’s first A321neo (new engine option) aircraft arrived in Auckland early last week after departing the Airbus facility in Hamburg.