Auckland Airport welcomes China Southern to New Zealand

Auckland Airport welcomes China Southern Airlines to New Zealand
New air service to Auckland tipped to significantly boost Chinese tourism market

Auckland Airport and China Southern Airlines announced today at a media conference in Auckland that a new Guangzhou to Auckland service (via Melbourne) is scheduled to commence on or before 30 April 2011.

Auckland Airport’s chief executive, Simon Moutter, said, “Better connections with Asia, and in particular China, is critical for New Zealand trade and tourism. With these new services from Asia’s largest carrier China Southern Airlines to China’s second largest airport Guangzhou we open up a vast range of new opportunities for New Zealand.”

The new Guangzhou to Auckland route will initially be served by A330-300 aircraft (284 seat four-class) running three times per week. This equates to over 88,000 additional seats on offer each year connecting Auckland to mainland China.

China Southern Airline’s chief executive officer Mr Tan Wangeng said, “China Southern Airlines is very pleased to be able to make this announcement of new services between New Zealand and China. We believe New Zealand is an aviation market with huge potential and that the connections between Auckland Airport, Australia and Queenstown created in this partnership will better serve the growing travel demand between our two countries.”

Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown, said, “As sister cities, Auckland and Guangzhou already have a very special relationship, and today’s announcement reinforces that. I am personally delighted at the opportunities that improved connections between Auckland and China will represent to our visitor economy. As Auckland continues to develop into a truly global city, the importance of forging stronger links with the economic powerhouse of China cannot be underestimated.”

China’s largest airline, China Southern Airlines is the newest member of SkyTeam and is present in major metropolitan markets around the world. It operates the largest and most technologically advanced airline fleet and the most extensive domestic air network in The People’s Republic of China.

Mr Moutter said, “While the potential for growing inbound and outbound tourism between China and New Zealand is significant, it already represents a substantial visitor market, with over 10,000 international arrivals a month from China. We estimate these services will inject over $50 million into the local visitor economy and with the long-term growth trend we think that the sky is the limit for development into Auckland. As the market continues to grow, the prospects for increased frequency and direct services are very good.”
Mr Tan said, “Starting these services to New Zealand’s Super City and tourism gateway, Auckland, is an important strategic step in the continued development of China Southern Airlines role in the region and we look forward to growing this high-potential route together with our industry partners.”