Air China To Resume Auckland Flights In May

Air China is set to return to New Zealand with scheduled passenger services for the first time since the pandemic. From May 2nd, the Chinese flag carrier will fly to Auckland (AKL) four times per week from its hub at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK).

Pre-pandemic, China was the second-largest source of inbound visitors to New Zealand, and with Chinese borders open for international travel once more, Air China is now hoping to tap into this rapidly recovering market.

Air China’s Beijing – Auckland flight schedule

From May 2nd, Air China will operate four times per week between Beijing Capital International Airport and Auckland Airport, as per the following schedule:

Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock

Flights will be operated by the Boeing 787-9. According to the latest data from ch-aviation.com, Air China currently has 14 Boeing 787-9s in its fleet, each with a maximum capacity of 293 passengers, spread over a three-class configuration – 30 in business class, 34 in premium economy, and 229 in economy class. The aircraft have an average age of 6.2 years old.

Air China will not face any direct competition on the Beijing to Auckland route. In terms of direct services between the two countries, fellow Star Alliance member Air New Zealand connects Auckland with Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), as does China Eastern Airlines, while China Southern Airlines flies to Auckland from its hub at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN).

Photo: Ryken Martin | Shutterstock

In a sign of the strength of the market, even in the early stages of its recovery, Air New Zealand recently increased the frequency of its flights to Shanghai to four per week, following rising demand.

Further long-haul service resumptions

Faced with some of the world’s strictest travel restrictions, Chinese carriers made severe cuts to their international services throughout the pandemic and suffered significant financial losses. However, with borders now re-open and demand rebounding, many airlines are picking up where they left off and gradually rebuilding their international route networks.

From its primary hub at Beijing Capital International Airport, Air China resumed flights to Rome (FCO) last month. Direct flights now operate four times per week, with the Airbus A350-900. These were followed by flights to London Gatwick (LGW), which returned on April 1st and now operate four times per week with the Airbus A330-300.

Photo: Abdul N Quraishi | Shutterstock

Later this summer, Air China will also return to Barcelona (BCN) with three weekly services operated by its Airbus A330-200 aircraft, and the carrier will up the frequency of its flights to Madrid (MAD) from three to four per week.