Air New Zealand’s Seven Charter Flights to Japan

Posted 13/12/2011

Air New Zealand has confirmed that it is once again operating its popular charter programme from Japan to New Zealand during the Southern Summer season as it continues to stimulate passenger growth from this important tourism market.  Between January 25, 2012 and March 14, 2012 the carrier will operate a weekly charter service into Auckland from Nagoya, Fukuoka or Kagoshima utilising 230-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

The flights had been in doubt as the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan earlier this year has meant there has been a decline in demand since March, but working in partnership with Tourism New Zealand, the airline has been working to stimulate the market and its General Manager Japan, Ed Overy, says the charters are selling well, indicating “a continued appetite from Japanese tourists for a taste of a New Zealand summer.

“This summer’s charter flights are less than the dozen we ran last summer but more than we had the year before that, and reflect the renewed optimism we are seeing in the outbound market from Japan following the recent reintroduction of direct services into Christchurch last month and also the resumption of regular Boeing 777-200 services,” he said.

Japanese tourists spend more per person than any other nationality and are New Zealand’s fifth-largest tourist market, contributing 74,399 international visitors for the year ending October 2011, according to official statistics.  Over the past years Air New Zealand has been focusing on new tourists from key regions across Japan and will be offering four charter flights from Nagoya, two from Fukuoka and one from Kagoshima.

“Part of our market strategy has been to broaden our reach by offering direct air connections to New Zealand from regional airports within Japan, where we are observing some good demand,” explained Ed Overy.  “New Zealand remains a popular summer holiday destination thanks to its spectacular scenery and pristine environment.”

Alongside the charters Air New Zealand will offer three scheduled flights a week direct from Tokyo to Christchurch and then on to Auckland, three services a week between Tokyo and Auckland and four between Osaka and Auckland.  An estimated 176,000 O&D passengers travelled between Japan and New Zealand last year, down 16.3 per cent on the previous 12 month period.

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