Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Air New Zealand will launch its new flight route on September 17, 2022. It will run between Auckland and New York City, signaling New Zealand’s gradual reopening to global tourism.
The flights from Auckland will operate as NZ2, and the ones originating from New York’s JFK airport will be numbered NZ1.
“Traditionally, flight numbers 1 and 2 are used for an airline’s flagship route. And that’s what New York will be — our flagship route,” the airline’s CEO, Greg Foran, said in a statement.
Each leg will operate three times a week on Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Tickets are already on sale on ANZ’s website.
The new flight will be one of the world’s longest. Those departing from Auckland Airport (AKL) will spend 16 hours in the air before arriving at JFK. Those departing from JFK will clock in at 17 hours and 35 minutes.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the last few years to make this ultra long-haul service a reality,” Foran added. “To ensure customers arrive in New York feeling refreshed, we’ve put a lot of thought into the onboard experience and teams are working around the clock to make sure this a great flying experience.”
The flight between Singapore and JFK on Singapore Airlines is still the longest recorded passenger flight, covering 9,534 miles and flying 18 hours.
The Qantas flight from Perth in Western Australia to London is also battling for one of the world’s longest routes. It resumes at the end of March after a pandemic-related pause.
Dubbed “Project Sunrise,” Qantas’ direct flight between Sydney and London will fly in the air at over 19 hours when launched. It could easily claim the number one spot for the longest flight. However, the project was paused when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
In an interview with CNN’s Richard Quest late last year, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the airline plans to revisit the development of these ultra-long-haul routes in 2022, aiming to launch in the following two to three years.
The pandemic was responsible for many aviation-related records.
In March 2020, Air Tahiti Nui recorded the longest ever scheduled passenger flight by distance, flying 9,765 miles from Papeete, French Polynesia, to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle.
This usually involves a stopover in Los Angeles, but travel restrictions did not make it possible, so the airline had to fly without a stop.
Air New Zealand already operates several routes between the country and the United States. They have direct flights to Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. They also have another to Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.