More consolidation is taking place in the aviation industry with the announcement that Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand are set to broaden their joint services between Singapore and New Zealand, adding more capacity as interest in travel between the two countries continues to rise, along with onward demand across Asia and Europe.
The expanded network comes as carriers outside the Middle East reroute flights between Asia and Europe away from major travel hubs in the region, in response to the severe disruption in air travel caused by the US- Israeli war on Iran.
The Air New Zealand-SIA alliance will add 72,000 seats for the Northern Winter season, boosting overall seat capacity between the two countries by 17% from late October 2026.
Air New Zealand will operate three flights per week between Singapore and Christchurch aboard its Boeing 787 aircraft. The Kiwi carrier will also add four weekly Auckland services, to be operated using Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft.
SIA, on the other hand, will drop down a third, to just two flights between Singapore and Auckland, served by Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER.
But together with SIA’s existing scheduled Christchurch service, which operates 12 flights per week, the two airlines will operate 15 weekly services between November 2026 and February 2027.
The announcement marks the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic wiped flights from schedules that Air New Zealand will fly long-haul from the country’s second-largest city.
Also coming in November 2026, the flag carrier’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner service from Christchurch to Tokyo Narita Airport, and to Perth, Australia, which will be the shortest of the new long-haul routes.
Expanded schedules and increased seat capacity on routes operated by some of the world’s largest aircraft are a boost for Christchurch and further evidence of strong demand across the Asia-Pacific region. Air New Zealand also recently added a non-stop flight to Rarotonga, and Singapore and Air New Zealand are not the only long-haul operator eyeing the market.
Emirates flies from Christchurch to Dubai via Sydney all throughout the year, while the Northern Winter season sees Cathay Pacific, China Southern, and United Airlines add routes to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and San Francisco, respectively. In addition, Jetstar offer nonstop flights to Cairns, and Solomon Airlines is due to launch a non-stop link to Port Vila.
