Air New Zealand is making its move on super-long flights with a plan for non-stop service between Auckland and New York, using a 787-9.
But don’t line up for a ticket yet; the airline’s plans are in the 2022-3 window, with no firm details set, though the airline’s chief says one of its big ambitions “is to land a flight from Auckland to New York.” Its ambitions would put it in a class with Qantas’s Project Sunrise plans for flights to Britain and New York and Singapore Airlines’ existing Singapore to Newark flights.
The airline points out that the 787-9, properly configured—that means fewer passengers, more fuel—is already capable of the distance. The airline has also recently ordered eight 787-10s from Boeing.
