Air New Zealand in now offering direct flights between Vancouver and Auckland.

The services will initially operate three times a week between November and March to coincide with the peak travel season between the two destinations, as Canadians escape a white winter and Kiwi ski fanatics take advantage of some of the best slopes, scenery, culture and nightlife in the world.

Group General Manager International Airline Ed Sims says Canada has always been an extremely popular destination for New Zealanders.

“In turn, Canadians love New Zealand and come here in significant numbers every year. Starting this service will significantly grow tourism numbers between the two countries. Already each year around 46,000 Canadians visit New Zealand and 16,000 Kiwis visit Canada, even before a direct flight!” Mr Sims says.

Mr Sims says the new service is a significant undertaking for Air New Zealand. “We are committing aircraft, sales teams and considerable marketing spend to making this a profitable addition to our network.”

At any one time, the airline has more than 20 routes under consideration as part of its long-term strategy to grow the airline.

“We are committed to creating at least one new long haul international destination each year. Our previous two - San Francisco and Shanghai - have been hugely popular with customers and bookings on both routes continuing to exceed expectations. We are sure the new Vancouver service will be similarly successful.”

To reach Vancouver today from New Zealand, customers travel via Honolulu, Los Angeles or San Francisco. With a flight time of approximately 13 hours 45 minutes from New Zealand, the new non-stop service using Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 777-200ER aircraft will shave hours of transit time from customers’ travel itineraries.

For Australian customers, the new service provides a convenient one-stop offering from all eastern seaboard ports that Air New Zealand serves and eliminates the challenges of a US transit-stop as is currently the case with all other carriers. It will become the quickest way to Vancouver from both Melbourne and Adelaide.

Flight schedules between Auckland and Vancouver have been designed to meet the needs of both business and leisure travellers, with early evening departure times. Star Alliance partner Air Canada will also be code sharing on the service, which will depart Auckland on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The Canada New Zealand Business Association says the new service is the biggest and most beneficial boost to trade with Canada that the market has experienced for a long time and will aid both exporters and importers alike to move air cargo more freely.

Up until now it has been necessary to ship air cargo between New Zealand and Canada via a 3rd country which has involved barriers and certain restrictions on some types of shipments. There have also been additional costs for shippers to absorb at transit points as well as the potential for shipments to be delayed.

Canada is New Zealand’s 12th largest export destination and 14th largest trading partner in the year ended December 2006 with exports of NZ$553 million.