Air New Zealand increasing flights to Japan in big push into Asia

Air New Zealand is boosting capacity into Japan in summer with 30,000 more seats on its Auckland-Tokyo route, as more leased planes boost its long-haul fleet.

The announcement coincides with a trade and tourism push into Japan, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran and company chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh are part of the delegation.

Foran says the increase in capacity reflects the demand the airline is seeing and will boost economic growth in tourism for New Zealand.

“Japan is an incredibly important visitor market for the New Zealand tourism industry, so additional seats over our busiest season means more inbound travel from Japan.

“Adding the 777 to more of our Tokyo services means that there are more seats available in premium cabins and that customers may experience our newly refreshed aircraft, which includes new seat covers and updated soft products like pillows and blankets.”

With 342 seats, including 44 Business Premier and 54 Premium Economy, it offers more capacity and options to book premium cabins.

The airline — and tourism businesses here — will hope the extra capacity will stimulate what has been a sluggish recovery in the number of Japanese visitors coming here since borders opened.

Already subdued before the pandemic, the Japanese outbound market has suffered from nervousness about travelling, but also the low value of the yen compared with other currencies. Last year there were 51,000 visitor arrivals, half the pre-Covid figure.

But the number of Kiwis visiting Japan has surged post pandemic, largely due to lower on-ground costs, and the increased capacity will further boost that market.

Air New Zealand says the announcement is part of an increase in capacity to key destinations in Asia, with the airline adding a total of 55,000 seats across Singapore, Tokyo, and Taipei between November 2024 and March 2025.

The increase includes a higher proportion of premium seats, giving customers more opportunities to travel with extra space and comfort.

While the airline’s 14-strong Boeing 787 fleet has been depleted by ongoing Rolls-Royce engine maintenance issues, it is understood it will have three leased Cathay Pacific Boeing 777s in its fleet by the end of the year.

Asia capacity increases for November-March include:

• Tokyo: 30,000 additional seats, most of which are Business Premier or Premium Economy
• Singapore: 20,000 additional seats, 11,000 of which are in Business Premier or Premium Economy
• Taipei: 7500 additional Business Premier and Premium Economy seats

Foran said premium cabins were incredibly popular with customers travelling to and from destinations like Singapore, Tokyo, and Taipei.

“It’s a terrific way to support our tourism economy as Aotearoa welcomes back more tourists from Asia. Tourism has been a little slower to return from Asia than we had expected, but we’re now seeing that pick up, so more premium seats means more options for customers,” he said.

Luxon, a former Air New Zealand boss, said: “New Zealand and Japan have long-standing connections, particularly when it comes to our tourism sector. Pre-Covid we welcomed over 100,000 visitors from Japan every year, so it’s great to see air travel capacity increasing again, providing an important boost to New Zealand’s economy.”

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.