Air New Zealand

History

Air New Zealand's origins trace to Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), established on 26 April 1940 to operate trans-Tasman flying boat services, which was rebranded Air New Zealand on 1 April 1965 as it expanded into a full international and, later, domestic carrier. The airline was privatized in 1989, suffered the loss of 257 lives in the 1979 Mount Erebus crash, and was renationalized in 2001 when the New Zealand government took an 82% stake to rescue it following the collapse of its Ansett Australia subsidiary; government ownership was later reduced to roughly half via a partial share sale in 2013.

Current Operations

Air New Zealand operates a fleet of around 115 aircraft, combining Airbus A320-family and Boeing 777/787 jets on mainline domestic and international routes with ATR 72-600 and Bombardier Q300 turboprops on regional services, from hubs at Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. It serves roughly 20 domestic and 28 international destinations across 18 countries with a focus on the Pacific Rim, remains majority-owned by the New Zealand government, and has been a Star Alliance member since 1999.

Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports21

Sample Routes8