FLIGHT OF THE 787s

Air New Zealand has confirmed that its new fleet of ten Boeing 787-9 aircraft will be flight to Shanghai and Tokyo (long haul) and Honolulu, Auckland, Perth and Papeete (mid haul). Air New Zealand is the launch customer for the 787-9, the first of which is due to roll off the production line at Boeing in Seattle next month. The carrier’s CEO, Christopher Luxon said that the 787-9 is a game changer for the airline. “This modern, flexible, fuel efficient aircraft will not only replace our current fleet of Boeing 767s, it also represents a significant growth opportunity for our business and opens up the prospect of expanding our Pacific Rim footprint.” Luxon said that: “Given our 787-9’s will be multiple purpose aircraft — operating both long and mid-haul sectors — we’ve put a lot of research effort into coming up with four distinct seating selections that meet the customer expectations across the markets it will serve.” And he said that the addition of the 787-9 to the Air New Zealand fleet means the airline will be able to offer a consistent product experience across its long-haul fleet, and will see the Skycouch available on routes into Asia for the first time. For more, go to http://www.airnewzealand.com .