Air New Zealand Launching Direct Flights From Manila to Auckland

Air New Zealand has announced that it plans to begin non-stop flights to Manila from Auckland beginning in December of this year. The launch of the new flights mark the introduction of the fastest flight and only non-stop service between New Zealand and the Philippines

air new zealand philippine flights
Image Source: Australian Aviation / Rob Finlayson

Air New Zealand initially hinted that it was considering the Philippines as a destination last November. According to Air New Zealand's Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon, the new route should prove to be popular in both directions. 

"The Filipino population in New Zealand has more than tripled since 2001 and is now the third largest Asian ethnic group with around 40,000 Filipinos resident in New Zealand," said Luxon. "The number of visitors from the Philippines is also continuing to grow rapidly, up more than 20 percent in the past year alone so we're anticipating that demand for this service will be steady in both directions."

The new flights will operate three-times weekly with flying time between Manila and Auckland taking approximately 10.5 hours. 

"As the only non-stop service between New Zealand and the Philippines, our flight will be quicker and more convenient for travellers than the fastest current option, which flies indirect, potentially saving up to two and a half hours each way," added Luxon.

Luxon was referring to Philippine Airlines' service to Auckland which travels via Cairns, Australia. The New Zealand flag carrier is getting a head start on Philippine Airlines, which launched service to New Zealand last December. The PAL flight, which lasts approximately 12 hours, is operated four-times weekly using a single-aisle 156-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. 

At the time of the route launch, Philippine Airlines President Jaime Bautista indicated that the Philippine flag carrier was planning to develop the market so that they could operate the route non-stop in two years. With Air New Zealand launching non-stop service ahead of Philippine Airlines,  it remains unclear if PAL will accelerate its plans to operate the service non-stop. 

Flights offered by Air New Zealand will be operated by the carrier's Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Air New Zealand's Boeing 767 aircraft are equipped with 230 seats including 24 in Business Class. Each seat is equipped with personal audio-video entertainment

Air New Zealand is planning to replace its Boeing 767 fleet with state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 aircraft in late 2017. However, it remains unclear if the Manila route will eventually transition to a Boeing 787 service. Tickets for the new route are expected to go on sale mid-year pending government and regulatory approvals.

16 comments:

  1. Pressure to the flag carrier.

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  2. Great! This is very timely as me and my friends are actually planning on a NZ vacation next year! Looking forward to see Air New Zealand in Manila! Also...competition is always welcome as the consumer wins! :-)

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  3. And its expensive because direct flight

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  4. Pal should upgrade its aircraft and inflight service in its Maanila-New Zealand route or else Air New Zealand will knock pal out ...Good Luck Pal.

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  5. nz has nothing to worry going head on with pr. we know the latter offers inferior product offering. cheers to nz!

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  6. There are an extensive variety of carriers offering shoddy flights to New Zealand. This article records the real airlines working all through New Zealand, and points of interest the different New Zealand air terminals.

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  7. Good development! Filipinos don't need to apply for a transit visa when transiting in NZ airport to an onward foreign destination. Hello South Pacific and South America! -Anna Mae

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  8. Why are there no talk of Cebu Pathetic on this site? Did you finally realize the truth of flying with that pathetic airline?

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  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  10. Hi guys not sure how true is this but this is a Spanish news. http://www.02b.com/es/notices/2016/04/phillippine-airlines-mira-a-el-prat-para-2018-16754.php
    PAL is considering to fly to Spain.

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    1. La aerolínea aprovechará el creciente tráfico entre Manila y Barcelona, sobre todo de ciudadanos filipinos. La compañía se decanta por la ciudad catalana frente a Barajas y se pone un plazo de dos años para aterrizar en Cataluña.
      it says PAL is taking advantage of the growing traffic between Barcelona y Manila especially with Filipinos living there thats why it mulls on flying there on 2018. (the airline) chose BCN over madrid.
      **im not sure if this is practical, unless PAL stops somewhere like Dubai or Rome.

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  12. New Zealand has many great major airlines servicing New Zealand, the world and the Pacific region including Australia.

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  13. How long does the flight take? It makes sense to take a portable dvd player ?


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