Air China to help Air New Zealand expand network through codeshare pact

Air China flights will help Air New Zealand passengers to be ferried into Chinese cities through a codeshare partnership.

Air New Zealand is adding a fifth weekly service to Shanghai to be operated from July 4, 2012, and will serve Beijing as a one-stop destination in association with Star Alliance codeshare partner Air China.

The twice-weekly Auckland-Beijing service being currently operated by Air New Zealand will also be suspended from June 30, 2012. The airline has decided to suspend the service on Auckland-Beijing route to grow the Shanghai service further and concentrate on it more.

According to Air New Zealand, an important and growing market like Beijing can be best served by the codeshare arrangement with Air China. The codeshare pact between the two carriers is aimed at providing convenient connections between Shanghai and Beijing in both directions.

Sandeep Bahl, Air New Zealand’s Head of Asia operations, said that the airline has been operating to mainland China for more than five years and is highly committed to the potential of the market long term. The airline will be focusing on the Shanghai region of around 14 million people, and will be providing a daily service to and from this important gateway in China.