Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited (Māori: Araraurangi Aotearoa[6]) is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim.[7] The airline has been a member of the Star Alliance since 1999.[8]
Air New Zealand succeeded Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) on 1 April 1965. The airline served only international routes until 1978, when the government merged it and the domestic New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC) into a single airline under the Air New Zealand name. Air New Zealand was privatised in 1989, but returned to majority government ownership in 2001 after nearing bankruptcy due to a failed tie-up with Australian carrier Ansett Australia. In the 2017 financial year to June, Air New Zealand carried 15.95 million passengers.[9]
Air New Zealand's route network focuses on Australasia and the South Pacific, with long-haul flight services to eastern Asia and North America. It was the last airline to circumnavigate the world with flights to London Heathrow via Los Angeles and Hong Kong. The latter service was discontinued in March 2013 when Air New Zealand stopped Hong Kong–London flights in favour of a codeshare agreement with Cathay Pacific.[10][11] Flights to London Heathrow by the airline stopped altogether in 2020 due to heavy competition and a lack of demand.[12] The airline's main hub is Auckland Airport, located near Māngere in the southern part of the Auckland urban area.[13] Air New Zealand is headquartered in a building called "The Hub", located 20 km (12 mi) from Auckland Airport, in Auckland's Wynyard Quarter.[14]
Air New Zealand currently operates a mixed fleet consisting of the Airbus A320, Airbus A320neo family, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 jet aircraft, as well as a regional fleet consisting of ATR 72 and Bombardier Q300 turboprop aircraft. Air New Zealand was awarded Airline of the Year in 2010[15] and 2012[16] by the Air Transport World Global Airline Awards. In 2014, Air New Zealand was ranked the safest airline in the world by JACDEC.[17]
Controversies[edit]
Outsourcing maintenance[edit]
On 19 October 2005, Air New Zealand proposed outsourcing most of its heavy maintenance on its long-haul aircraft and engines, which would result in about 600 job losses, mostly in Auckland.[77] Air New Zealand said that there were larger maintenance providers that could provide maintenance work more cheaply due to their large scale. The proposal was estimated to save $48 million over five years and came after many attempts to attract contracts to service other airlines' longhaul aircraft.[78]
Eventually, a union proposal to save some of the remaining jobs was accepted. The proposal included shift and pay changes (most of them pay cuts) which would allow about 300 engineers in Auckland to keep their jobs. 200 were made redundant or resigned.[79]
Baggage tracker policy[edit]
Although Air New Zealand and fellow Star Alliance member Lufthansa briefly banned baggage trackers in 2022, those bans and advisories were reversed in 2023. [92][93]
