Article from BTNews 11 DECEMBER 2017
ANZ, SIA broaden alliance
A third daily flight between Singapore and Auckland is being inaugurated from October next year as a joint operation between Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand, boosting capacity on the route by up to 40% and adding more than 165,000 seats annually.
The two carriers, who set up a joint-venture alliance in January 2015, say the additional service, along with a revision of current schedules, will shorten connection times and improve connectivity through the Singapore hub.
The increase means during peak months the airlines will jointly operate a total of 35 return services a week between Singapore and New Zealand, including Christchurch and Wellington flights.
Under the alliance agreement, the two companies will also continue to operate one daily return service each on the Auckland – Singapore route, with a third service by SIA during the northern winter and ANZ during the northern summer.
SIA will operate a mix of Airbus A380s and Boeing B777-300ERs, depending on the season, while ANZ will fly its new-configuration Boeing B787-9 aircraft, offering more Premium Economy and Business Premier seats than its current B787-9 fleet.
SIA senior vice-president Tan Kai Ping, said: “Our alliance with Air New Zealand has already benefited customers through more capacity, choice, improved connections and more codeshare destinations.”
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