Air New Zealand has announced it will add capacity to the tune of 30,000 extra seats on its Auckland-Tokyo route between November and March.
It's part of a ramp up across key Asian routes over the southern summer period, the majority of which are in business or premium economy cabins.
While the move is intended to cater more for inbound tourists than Kiwis heading away on holiday, the increased capacity could well mean more sales and cheaper options for New Zealanders looking to travel to Asia.
The airline announced the news a day after its CEO Greg Foran and chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh served drinks on a flight to Tokyo that was diverted to pick up a trade delegation.
The delegation, which included the airline's executives, encountered trouble after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's Defence Force (NZDF) plane broke down.
The NZDF aircraft was able to fly at low altitude to Brisbane on Monday morning, where the delegation group of around 30 boarded a commercial Air New Zealand flight to Tokyo in the afternoon.
It meant a delay of around two hours for what would normally be a non-stop Auckland-Tokyo flight. Foran and Walsh sat in economy class rather than a premium cabin and served drinks to customers after an apology was issued for the disruption.
Some passengers on the flight Newshub spoke to were unhappy with the delay, primarily due to the impact on their travel plans after arriving in Tokyo.
"It only gives us an hour to get through customs, pick our bags up and pay for a train ticket before the last train goes," one man told Newshub.
"I'm quite fearful we're not going to get through to the last train, which means we'd have to catch a bus instead, which I've never done before and don't know how to do. And the bus takes twice as long to get into Tokyo."
Air NZ flies to Tokyo's Narita Airport, which is at least an hour-and-a-half train or bus ride away from the central city. There is another Tokyo airport - Haneda - which is more central, but Air NZ does not fly there.
The airline also flew to and from Kansai Airport in Osaka pre-2020, but confirmed to Newshub on Tuesday it currently has no plans to reintroduce services to any other airports in Japan beyond Narita.
The increase in Narita capacity will be achieved by more frequently using Boeing 777 aircraft on the route. The larger planes offer 342 seats, including 44 business premier and 54 premium economy.
Normally Auckland-Narita is serviced with a Boeing 787-9 featuring 263 economy seats, 21 premium economy and 18 business premier.
The changes between November 2024 and March 2025 will also include an additional 20,000 seats between Aotearoa and Singapore and 7500 extra business premier and premium economy seats on the Taipei route.
