The New Zealand Minister of Transport has approved a proposal for an alliance between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Air New Zealand, after the Competition Commission of Singapore gave it a go-ahead earlier this year. The plan was announced on January 16 (see story).
The New Zealand flag carrier will offer a daily service to the Lion City by taking over five flights currently operated by SIA and adding a further two weekly flights. It is to be serviced by the Boeing 777-200ER, which will sport the new seats seen in the upcoming B787-9 Dreamliner (see here). The carrier last flew to Singapore in 2006.
SIA, on the other hand, will continue to offer daily flights between Auckland and its home base with the the Boeing 777-300ER. It plans to deploy the A380 first on a seasonal basis, and if all goes well, the superjumbo will replace the B777 altogether.
The two Star Alliance members are finalising operational dates for alliance services.
Visit singaporeair.com and airnewzealand.com
Reggie Ho