Air New Zealand widebodies to return to Christchurch

By Andrew Curran.

Air New Zealand’s widebody aircraft will return to Christchurch (CHC) later this year, with the airline announcing the resumption of B787-operated flights from the airport to Perth (PER), Singapore (SIN), and Tokyo Narita (NRT).

“The new services mark a significant expansion of international flying from Christchurch,” Air New Zealand said in a May 20, 2026, media statement.

The first Christchurch–Singapore service will depart on October 28, followed by Christchurch–Narita on November 28, and Christchurch–Perth on November 30.

Air New Zealand has previously operated all three routes, ending the Tokyo Narita flights in 2025, the Perth flights in 2019, and the Singapore flights in 2020.

The announcement follows Air New Zealand signing a memorandum of understanding with Christchurch Airport to develop a long-term partnership.

Christchurch regains Air New Zealand widebody routes

“Growth has been a long time coming,” Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar said in Auckland on Wednesday morning. “These destinations are highly sought after for tourism, leisure, and trade.”

The announcement is a sharp contrast to Air New Zealand’s recent run of news, which has primarily focused on capacity cuts, engine woes, soaring fuel costs, and financial losses.

The resuming flights will also see Air New Zealand’s widebody aircraft start to operate in and out of a second New Zealand airport. In recent years, Auckland has been the only New Zealand airport to host Air New Zealand Boeing 777s and Boeing 787s.

Air New Zealand’s booking portal shows the carrier operating the three new routes two or three times per week. The Christchurch – Singapore round-trips (NZ66/67) and Christchurch – Tokyo Narita round-trips (NZ51/52) will operate three times weekly, while the Christchurch – Perth round-trips (NZ239/240) will run twice weekly.

Currently, aside from domestic destinations, Air New Zealand flies to Rarotonga (RAR), Melbourne (MEL), Adelaide (ADL), Sydney (SYD), Gold Coast (OOL), and Brisbane (BNE) from Christchurch using A320neo and A321neo aircraft.

According to Aero South Pacific’s Christchurch Airport Brief, other international operators flying into Christchurch include Emirates, Qantas, Fiji Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Jetstar, Solomon Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and United Airlines. Several of these carriers only operate into Christchurch seasonally.

“A lot of people have worked really hard to get to this point,” Christchurch Airport CEO Justin Watson said this morning. “Having three new routes into Christchurch is fantastic, but what makes it really special is what sits behind it - a long-term strategic partnership with Air New Zealand.”

“It’s going to be pretty exciting to see those widebody Dreamliners become a regular sight back on our tarmac. We’re incredibly excited about what this means for the future of our airport.”

Improved fleet availability supports expansion

In a market update last week, Air New Zealand said its fleet availability had improved significantly in recent months.

For some time, engine manufacturing issues have prevented the full deployment of its B787-9 and A321neo fleets. A B787 cabin refurbishment programme has further impacted aircraft availability.

The airline now expects to have all its existing B787-9 aircraft back in service by late June. It is also expecting deliveries of new B787-9s to begin shortly.

“With our B787s returning to service and new aircraft joining the fleet, we are now in a position to grow again,” said Ravishankar.

Photo: AI-Generated.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com