Air New Zealand has confirmed the purchase of an additional four Boeing 787-9 aircraft to meet its growth plans over the next decade.
General Manager Strategic Development Nathan Agnew says that with this order Air New Zealand has now confirmed the purchase of a total of eight 787-9 aircraft and has secured options over eight further production slots giving the airline access to sixteen of these new generation aircraft over the coming decade.
Following on from the launch of the new Auckland - Shanghai service in November and the second daily service from Auckland to London over Hong Kong, Mr Agnew said that Air New Zealand is committed to a growth strategy and today's announcement ensures that Air New Zealand will be equipped with the latest and most fuel efficient aircraft of their type to pursue further growth.
Air New Zealand is the launch customer for Boeing's 787-9 aircraft, with the first aircraft due to be introduced into service in 2011 and the last of the eight aircraft purchased to date being delivered in 2013. As the launch customer Air New Zealand is working closely with the Boeing design team on the specification and development of the 787-9.
Mr Agnew says the four additional 787-9s have a list price of around NZ$1 billion but the airline achieved a significant discount on this when it was one of the first airlines in the world to commit to the 787 programme.
"These new aircraft will provide Air New Zealand with a solid platform to realise its growth ambitions over the next decade. Given their capability to fly direct to regions like South Africa, India, South America, Asia and deep into China and North America, we will have some exciting new opportunities to pursue," Mr Agnew says.
"Over the past year a tremendous amount of analysis and research has been underway to identify those markets that offer Air New Zealand significant potential for growth during the next ten years. This has highlighted some really interesting opportunities and we are really excited about the prospect of being able to further boost tourism and trade between New Zealand and new destinations."
Mr Agnew says Air New Zealand is committed to launching at least one new international route every year and it expects to announce a new addition to its network within the next few months.
"We are confident New Zealand travellers and businesses will be excited about the new destination, which we aim to have operating before the end of 2007."
Mr Agnew says an important benefit of the 787-9 is its fuel efficiency, with a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption when compared with similar aircraft flying today.
ENDS
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