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Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines (SIA) will continue their joint venture for another five years after it was re-authorised by the NZ government.
As part of the deal, which began in 2015 and is now authorised until March 2029, the two airlines plan to operate a fourth daily seasonal Auckland–Singapore service from 27 October 2024 to 29 March 2025. The carriers say the partnership has grown NZ-Singapore seat capacity by 50 per cent.
Under the joint venture, last re-authorised in 2018, Air New Zealand and SIA codeshare on routes between New Zealand and Europe, India and Southeast Asia via Singapore, coordinate on capacity and pricing, and share revenue.
“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,” said Air New Zealand’s chief transformation and alliances officer, Mike Williams.
“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.”
Since the partnership began, the airlines have added up to three daily services between Auckland and Singapore, and one between Christchurch and Singapore.
According to Dai Haoyu, acting senior vice president of marketing planning at Singapore Airlines, a fourth daily seasonal Auckland–Singapore flight will bring the two airlines’ peak period services to 38 weekly flights, translating to more than 893,000 services per hear.
“The extension of our alliance allows us to continue offering our customers even more options between Singapore and New Zealand, as well as to domestic destinations within New Zealand and around the world,” he said.
“This is exemplified by the fourth daily seasonal service between Auckland and Singapore, which will support the growing demand for both business and leisure travel.”
Singapore is an important hub for New Zealand, the NZ government says, playing an important role in connecting the country to the rest of the world. NZ’s Associate Transport Minister, Matt Doocey, said the re-authorisation will mean NZ travellers will continue to have access to “a wide range of flights and destinations”.
“The continued cooperation between these airlines reinforces New Zealand’s connections to Southeast Asia, India and Europe, as aviation markets continue to recover from the pandemic,” he said.
“The continuation of the alliance is good news for travellers. It means more seats, a wider range of flight times and reciprocal frequent flyer schemes. We are already seeing commitment from both airlines to provide more services in 2024.
“The alliance also benefits our tourism sector by giving travellers better access to New Zealand. This is important at a time when we are looking to grow tourism to boost the economy.”
