An Air New Zealand Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Air New Zealand will make a multibillion-dollar investment in its fleet, capacity and marketing over the next five years.
The airline announced $3.5 billion will go towards purchasing eight new 787-9 Dreamliners and five Airbus A320neo aircraft, as well as retrofitting the existing fleet. The company announced the changes at the TRENZ conference in Christchurch.
Air NZ will fly 4.5 million passengers on 39 international routes between March and October this year.
Thirty million dollars will be invested in marketing campaigns.
The world-first bunk beds have been confirmed on the Auckland to New York and Chicago routes from 2024. Chief executive Greg Foran said the Skynest would be designed and installed in Aotearoa.
"Our fleet investment, capacity update, and marketing spend represent a significant commitment to New Zealand's tourism industry.
"By investing in new and retrofitted aircraft, adding more seats to our international routes, and increasing our marketing presence in key markets, we're making it even easier for visitors to tick New Zealand off their bucket lists."
The changes would add more seats to their international routes and support local tourism, he said.
The international network has returned to 91 percent of pre-Covid-19 capacity, while the domestic network is back at pre-Covid-19 levels.
Air New Zealand has been negotiating to buy another Boeing 777-300ER, which could add 3000 additional seats per week.
"We're proud to be making this investment in our fleet and in the future of air travel," Foran said. "Investing in new and retrofitted aircraft will help us attract even more premium leisure customers from the Pacific Rim to New Zealand, boosting the growth of our tourism industry."