Air New Zealand has reported that demand remains strong for flights to and from the United States, with the carrier set to increase capacity by around 8% for the second half of 2025. Greg Foran, the airline’s current Chief Executive Officer, noted in the carrier’s 2025 financial results.
Inbound North America demand has remained strong, which has been supported by a strong US dollar. This has influenced an increase in American travelers heading south, with the premium cabin remaining a popular mode of travel. Onboard Air New Zealand, the carrier offers Business Premier, Premium Economy, and Economy, with additional Business Luxe and Sleeper Pods set to debut soon.
New Premium Rich Aircraft
The Kiwi airline is currently undertaking a full retrofit program of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which has seen the airline’s new cabin upgrades reveal a new, exciting onboard experience. Key features of this include larger in-flight entertainment, including Bluetooth connectivity, updated seats which will face gradually towards the window, instead of the reverse herringbone that is currently onboard. Other improvements include a new Sky Pantry, Economy Stretch, and upgraded lavatories.
One other bonus for premium travelers is the first four seats at the front of the Business Premier cabin, including Luxe seats, which offer an additional space to bring an accompanying dining guest. These four exclusive seats offer additional privacy with a sliding door. All Business Premier seats include lie-flat beds, headrests, and sliding dividers for companion seats. The carrier’s CEO reiterated that with continued demand, new aircraft will support improved services to and from North America:
“The U.S. continues to be decent. We’ve got some new planes coming in the beginning of next year, a couple of new 787s. We’ll get those on to our New York routes and other places.”
A Year Of Managing Disruption
Foran wasn’t afraid to hide away from the fact that the Star Alliance carrier has grappled with engine problems with its Rolls-Royce engines, effectively grounding several aircraft in its fleet. However, with the incoming new aircraft, the airline is excited to see the premium cabins remaining popular, and with added capacity expected, the airline will continue to be the largest carrier between New Zealand and North America. With several planes grounded, the carrier has looked to wet-leasing a Boeing 777-300ER once operated by Cathay Pacific.
Air New Zealand’s decision to retrofit all 14 of its existing 787-9, which will see a tip-to-tail retrofit, will see new seats across all cabins. These were hoped to be installed on earlier new aircraft, but due to production issues with Boeing, they had to see them consider a retrofit as an alternative. Air New Zealand’s 787 order is detailed below as per ch-aviation:
|
Variant |
In Service |
On Order |
|---|---|---|
|
787-9 |
14 |
Five |
|
787-10 |
– |
Five |
The carrier’s five new inbound 787-9 and all five 787-10 will be fitted with General Electric GEnx engines, and are set to feature the new suite of onboard cabins.
Air New Zealand Milestones In The 2025 Financial Year
Globally, the aviation industry has had a challenging year, with Air New Zealand not immune to this. The carrier has remained laser-focused on delivering safe and reliable services to both those who call New Zealand home, but also the thousands of annual travelers who decide to fly with Air New Zealand, and its unique network of international flights across the Pacific Rim, and an extensive domestic network.
This year, Air New Zealand welcomed additional Airbus A321neo and ATR 72-600 aircraft to support both domestic and short-haul international networks, while also completing the carrier’s 787 retrofit programme. Domestically, the airline has noted that corporate and government travel demand remains low, which has seen the airline opt for revenue initiatives that hope to boost its bottom line.
- IATA Code
-
NZ
- ICAO Code
-
ANZ
- Year Founded
-
1965
The airline remains confident and has invested in ensuring network continuity through leased aircraft, acquiring engine spares, and adjusting its schedule to maintain consistency. Air New Zealand has handled more than NZ$1 billion ($590 million) worth of aircraft being grounded, and is hopeful that compensation from Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce to help offset these additional operational costs.
