'Fantastic opportunity': New Zealand's Luxon says Air India, Air NZ sign pact for easier flight connectivity

Air India has inked a deal with Air New Zealand to introduce direct flights between the two nations. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Wednesday shared a post on X saying the agreement will boost tourism and ease travel.

“Air New Zealand and Air India have signed an agreement to make it easier to fly between our countries. This is a fantastic opportunity that’ll boost tourism which will grow our economy,” he said during his official visit to New Delhi.

Air New Zealand and Air India have signed an agreement to make it easier to fly between our countries.

This is a fantastic opportunity that’ll boost tourism which will grow our economy. pic.twitter.com/xseUJ4wxzb

— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) March 20, 2025

“The MoU includes the establishment of a new codeshare partnership on 16 routes between India, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand,” a release said.

The two airlines have entered into a codeshare partnership. Generally, a codeshare partnership allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carrier on a single ticket.

“We are delighted to be deepening our relationship with Air New Zealand, which follows the recent expansion of our codeshare partnerships with Lufthansa Group, Singapore Airlines, and All Nippon Airways.

“This partnership will not only strengthen our presence and simplify customer journeys but also help us develop traffic so that, in time to come, we may viably operate a non-stop service between India and New Zealand, which we and Air New Zealand have committed to explore together with the respective authorities,” Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said.

Travellers from India and New Zealand have to stop in Southeast Asian and Australian airports currently as there are no direct flights between the two countries with total travel time crossing 17 hours.

As members of the Star Alliance, both airlines recognize strong demand for travel between India and New Zealand, driven by tourism, trade, and education. Additionally, New Zealand has a significant Indian community, with people of Indian origin making up the country’s third-largest ethnic group.

With inputs from agencies