Air New Zealand resumes operation here after 22 years of suspension

Jeff McDowall, acting chief executive of Air New Zealand, talks about the benefits of Auckland-Incheon flights during a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Air New Zealand

By Kim Hyun-bin

Air New Zealand resumed its flights between Korea and New Zealand after a 22-year break, Saturday, as the number of Koreans traveling to the island country has grown rapidly over the years.

The airline first launched operations in the mid-1990s between Auckland and Seoul, but halted services in 1997 following the Asian Financial Crisis, as demand dropped sharply.

“We have flown here before, but unfortunately due to the Asian Financial Crisis, the number of passengers fell from 100,000 to 20,000, so we had to step back at that point. But now we are seeing the number of passengers grow and grow,” Jeff McDowall, acting chief executive of Air New Zealand, said during a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Monday.

According to the airline, the demand has recovered from the crisis. Around 90,000 Koreans visit New Zealand annually and that number is expected to grow even further in the next decade. So far many Korean tourists have had stopovers in Japan or Australia, due to a small number of direct flights.

“There are about 40,000 Koreans living in New Zealand. There is growing demand for Koreans at home and in New Zealand to connect with family and friends both ways and visitor numbers are up close to 90,000 at the moment. We think that it will continue to increase in the next five to 10 years,” said Dame Therese Walsh, chairwoman of Air New Zealand.

On Saturday, Air New Zealand flight NZ75 departed Auckland International Airport for Korea's Incheon International Airport for the first time in more than two decades.

The airline offers three flights a week, departing Incheon on Monday, Thursday and Saturday with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. It is scheduled to increase the frequency temporarily to five times a week in December for the winter peak season.

Air New Zealand's Boeing B787-9

“The best thing about New Zealand is its people. New Zealanders have a warm and welcoming culture and we love nothing more than welcoming visitors from overseas,” McDowall said.

“The culture of New Zealand is the culture of Air New Zealand, so when you step onboard one of our planes, you can get that warm Kiwi welcome, which is really distinctive and it's quite a different style service than other airlines.”

Air New Zealand offers a domestic network to 20 cities and towns around New Zealand and also operates a strong network into Australia, flying to more cities to Australia from New Zealand than any other carriers, the airline says.

New Zealand's population is around one 10th of that of Korea, which could be worrisome for the airline to reel in travelers from its home country, but McDowall said the love for travel among New Zealanders could overcome the population gap.

“New Zealanders love to travel and are used to traveling. Even though it is a small population compared to Korea, we travel a lot,” he said. “Most people working in Korea get two weeks holiday a year whereas New Zealand gets a minimum four weeks so people like to use it to travel.”

He said Seoul is an amazing city with a rich culture, rich history and very modern outlook that will be an intriguing market for New Zealanders. While Korean customers can enjoy New Zealand's iconic scenery, excellent food and wine, outdoor adventure activities, unique wildlife, and meeting the friendly locals, he added.