Air New Zealand’s Most Notable Milestones Achieved Last Year

New Zealand’s flag carrier, based at Auckland International Airport, Air New Zealand

, operates a robust network of international flights around the Pacific Rim, focusing on South Pacific nations and more destinations in Australia than any other carrier operates to and from New Zealand. Simple Flying is looking back at the Kiwi carriers’ achievements in 2024.

Alongside many other international carriers, Air New Zealand continued to rebuild its network in 2024 following the COVID-19 Pandemic

travel pause. With over 171,605 flights operated across the airline’s network, the airline shows no signs of slowing down (even amid Pratt & Whitney engine troubles).

All Aboard Air New Zealand’s Reflection On 2024

Air New Zealand operates most of its international and domestic services from its home at Auckland International Airport (AKL), with additional domestic and international services operating from its three other main hubs in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Wellington (WLG), Christchurch (CHC), and Queenstown Airport

(ZQN) are the busiest airports in the carrier’s network.

For 2024, Air New Zealand operated 171,605 across its network, including its multiple daily international services to up to five ports in the United States (Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and New York JFK). While Chicago (ORD) remained absent for the last three quarters of 2024, the airline hopes to restart the service late this year. Over 15.8 million passengers were transported from one airport to another, with the Star Alliance carrier onboard the 171,605 flights, representing almost three times the population of New Zealand. This means that for every resident in New Zealand, it equates to taking three fights a year. During these flights, the crew handed out 17.5 million Air New Zealand lollies (candy), and 3.7 million cookies were crushed.

In May this year, the New Zealand flag carrier also acknowledged the third official language of New Zealand, NZSL: New Zealand Sign Language; during May, on one flight, the cabin crew made history by operating the first-in-flight safety demonstration using NZSL. Passengers throughout the flight were encouraged to try signing themselves, and the crew had special pins showing their dedication to the language. Just the year before, in 2023, Air NZ also operated a flight completely in Te Reo Maori (the indigenous language of New Zealand). The charter flight onboard ZK-OXK, a seven-year-old A320, was ferrying passengers to Te Matatini, described as the Kapa Haka Olympics, between Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington/WLG) and Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland/AKL).

Auckland To Sydney Remains The Airlines Most Popular Route

Travelers between New Zealand and Australia’s largest cities (Auckland and Sydney) made this the most popular short-haul route for Air New Zealand. Alone, Air New Zealand operates to more Australian airports directly from New Zealand than any other carrier. Year-round, Air New Zealand operates to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, alongside seasonal operations to Cairns, Hobart, and the Sunshine Coast.

Air New Zealand’s joint venture with Singapore Airlines continues to reap rewards for long-haul travelers, with Singapore Changi International Airport being the airline’s most popular long-haul port. While Air New Zealand maintains just one daily flight to the Singaporean capital most of the year, it has doubled daily between April and October. On the other hand, Singapore Airlines operates between two and three flights daily to Auckland Airport

, with a year-round service to Christchurch. The Christchurch service is also upscaled to twice daily during the peak season. It’s not just people flying with Air New Zealand, with even stats on its furry friends that traveled details in the carriers’ 2024 summary:

In addition to these high-flying furry animals, two Tasmanian devils also traveled across the ditch. These creatures came from Australia to their new home at Auckland Zoo. The ‘Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program’ looks to increase awareness about this special species. The two devils, sisters, moved from Tasmania, where they were previously at the Cressy Wildlife Facility.

23 Safety Videos And Counting

‘Every Point Counts’ was Air New Zealand’s 23rd Safety Video to be produced, and it was met with much fanfare in 2024. Starring a group of Kiwi kids playing basketball on a beachside court in the Northern Auckland suburbs of Orewa. The video, which blends plenty of Kiwi culture with the requirements for in-flight safety of everyone onboard, featured many famous Kiwi sports players and comedians, including Steven Adams, Valerie Adams, Tom Sainsbury, Theo Shakes, and Air New Zealand flight attendants Teoi and Shanti.

While watching a comical safety video is always enjoyable, Air New Zealand emphasizes that its videos are curated to ensure maximum safety for passengers and crew. A seat-back safety card remains in the seat pocket in front of you to review at any point throughout the flight.

Due to issues relating to the Pratt & Whitney engine saga, Air New Zealand has been forced to reduce some domestic and international operations in 2024; this included reduced capacity on key domestic routes between Christchurch and New Plymouth or Queenstown and Dunedin to Wellington. 2025 the airline’s Auckland to Seoul route will also be discontinued. The final flight for this service was on March 29, and leaves Korean Air as the sole direct operator between Auckland and Seoul Incheon (ICN), for the foreseeable future.

Bali Remains A Popular Tourist Hotspot For Kiwi Travelers

Previously a seasonal service, direct flights from Auckland International Airport to Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) were upgraded to year-round services in 2024. Currently (April 2025), the carrier operates these flights daily onboard a Boeing 777-300ER. The schedule has the flight depart Auckland at 11:10 for the over-eight-hour flight, touching down in the Indonesian tourist mecca at 16:20. Return flights depart at 17:50, arriving back into Auckland at 05:30 the next day.

Air New Zealand started serving Bali

on a seasonal basis in 2014. The airline paused these services during the COVID-19 pandemic and reintroduced them in March 2024. They have remained popular with Kiwi travelers and are the only airline to offer non-stop services between New Zealand and Indonesia. However, competition for travel to Indonesia remains tough, with the likes of Qantas, Jetstar, Garuda Indonesia, and Virgin Australia all offering indirect services via Australia (either on their own or via codeshare / interline agreement).

Travelers onboard Air New Zealand’s Boeing 777-300ER services to Bali can choose from three different service classes: Business Premier (44 seats), Premium Economy (54), and Economy class (244). All passengers have baggage and meals included, and seat-back entertainment options are available.

Chowing Down On 5.7 Million Meals

While not all 171,605 flights across the Air New Zealand 2024 network included meal service (given that domestic flights in New Zealand mostly don’t exceed more than an hour or, at a stretch, two hours), only short—and long-haul services may include inflight meal service. During the 2024 calendar year, over 5.7 million meals were served onboard passengers, all inspired by unique Kiwi flair, from roast lamb to chicken curry. There were options to suit everyone.

To complement breakfast, lunch, and dinner onboard, a fresh mango chili margarita or espresso martini was passengers’ most popular pre-flight cocktail curated by the bartenders in the airline’s Air New Zealand lounge at either Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, or Queenstown Airport or any of the airline’s international lounge network. Other key numbers of information are included below:

Air New Zealand is known for its down-to-earth, kiwi hospitality onboard, at the airport, and even during the booking process. In 2024, Air NZ rolled out its Live Chat service, enabling customers to chat with real people about any questions about their upcoming or previous bookings.

Dedicated To The Airlines Airport’s Members

Finally, the airline would be nowhere without its dedicated ‘Airpoints’ members (its frequent flier program). In 2024, 414,000 new Airpoints members joined the program, redeeming over 300,000 items via the carriers ‘Airpoints Store.’ This is where members can purchase household goods. This excludes points redeemed for flights throughout the carrier’s network.

Throughout the year, members collectively earned more than one million Airpoints daily, not limited just to flights onboard Air New Zealand and Star Alliance partners but also through the airline’s on-the-ground partners, including car rental, hotels, and other retail outlets such as Mitre10, New World, Liquorland, and Smith City. Or through its financial partners, ANZ, Westpac, and Kiwibank.

Air New Zealand has been considering a new ‘Elite Plus’ tier for its most frequent travelers. While it is yet to be confirmed, such perks could include free same-day flight changes on domestic and trans-Tasman flights, immediate confirmation of upgrades based on seat availability, complementary exit row seating, and 50% bonus on all Airpoints Dollars earned. This would complement Free Parking at the member’s home airport, a complementary Elite Status for their partner, and the option to nominate friends or family on the same flight free of charge.

Air New Zealand’s future looks bright in 2025, and we look forward to reviewing its achievements at the end of this year.