Air New Zealand will drop Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in the coming years. The company will instead use Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft - which is more fuel efficient - for all long-haul routes to Asia and North America.
The carrier has seven Boeing 777-300ER and 14 Boeing 787-9 aircraft in its fleet, but will replace two 777-300ERs by 2025 with the first two of the 8 Boeing 787-10 aircraft already ordered. The remaining 5 777-300ER aircraft will be retained on the ground as the Dreamliner "Dash 10" aircraft arrive.
Thomson highlighted the fleet review in a briefing where he announced the results of Air New Zealand's FY21, which recorded a loss of 440 million dollars. The Star Alliance member normally generates two-thirds of its revenue from international travel, and switching to a 787-10 fleet will lead to significant savings.
The Boeing 787-10 aircraft will debut with Air New Zealand's new Business Premier seat, along with a new "business plus" section primarily that will provide extra legroom, privacy, plus what the airline described as "a unique culinary experience ”. The luxury experience was called "Row 1".