Air New Zealand will tomorrow (Saturday) commence the first direct air services between Sydney and Rotorua, utilising a 152 seat A320 aircraft.
The inaugural services to and from Rotorua are due to touch down at Rotorua International airport from Sydney at 2:35pm tomorrow, before departing for Sydney at 3:35pm.
Passengers on the inaugural inbound and outbound services will enjoy drinks and nibbles at the gate, champagne in flight as well as commemorative gifts to celebrate the occasion.
Rotorua is putting on a big welcome party, including a special air show with the arrival of the first flight to be the concluding highlight of the event.
"The commitment from tourism and business operators, the Council and general public has been outstanding," says Air New Zealand General Manager Tasman Pacific Airline Glen Sowry.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their enthusiasm, which has helped to launch this new service."
Air New Zealand is operating twice weekly services on Saturdays and Mondays until the end of January, after which it will operate on Saturdays and Tuesdays.
"The Tasman is a tough market and we need the enthusiasm and support to continue for the service to be a success. The launch of the new Central Park marketing campaign will position Rotorua as the gateway to this region, and help drive further interest in the direct trans-Tasman services," says Mr Sowry.
The schedule is as follows:
| Saturdays from 12 December: | |
| Sydney - Rotorua | 0920 - 1435 |
| Rotorua - Sydney | 1535 - 1720 |
| Monday 21 and 28 December: | |
| Rotorua - Sydney | 0915 - 1100 |
| Sydney - Rotorua | 1200 - 1715 |
| Monday 4, 11, 18 and 25 January: | |
| Rotorua - Sydney | 1350 - 1535 |
| Sydney - Rotorua | 1230 - 1745 |
| Tuesdays from 2 February: | |
| Rotorua - Sydney | 1535 - 1720 |
| Sydney - Rotorua | 0920 - 1435 |
Bookings for the Rotorua-Sydney service can be made at www.airnewzealand.co.nz
Ends
Issued by Air New Zealand Public Affairs ph +64 9 336 2761
NOTE: The content of all Air New Zealand media releases are accurate at the time of issue, as stated at the top of each release. For updates on any changes, please contact Air New Zealand.
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award, Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, bmi, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Aegean Airlines, Air India, and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries.
For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com.
