The New Zealand government has approved an extension of a joint venture alliance between national carrier Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.
The extention will span five years from March 2024, says New Zealand associate transport minister Matt Doocey.
The two carriers – both Star Alliance members – first entered into the partnership in 2014. The alliance was reauthorised for the first time in 2018.
Doocey says the reauthorisation “reinforces New Zealand’s connections to Southeast Asia, India and Europe, as aviation markets continue to recover from the pandemic”.
He adds: “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.”
In response, both carriers welcomed the decision by the New Zealand government, noting that seat capacity between New Zealand and Singapore grew by nearly 50% in the past 10 years. The two carriers also carried over 4.6 million passengers during the span of the partnership.
Says Air New Zealand chief transformation and alliances officer Mike Williams: “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.”
Both SIA and Air New Zealand are the only operators of direct flights between both countries. SIA flies twice daily between Singapore and Auckland, while Air New Zealand has one flight a day.
SIA also flies to Christchurch daily.
From end-October this year, both carriers will jointly operate four daily flights between Singapore and Auckland, in addition to flights to Christchurch.
