Air New Zealand eyes flights to Manila, India, London

Air New Zealand is eager to fly to new destinations once its current shortfall of aircraft subsides, with the United Kingdom, India and The Philippines at the top of the list.

The Kiwi carrier has previously flagged a return to London, a route it once flew via Los Angeles but abandoned in early 2020.

The NZ carrier subsequently sold its landing and take-off slots at London Heathrow (raising a handy NZ$42 million in the process), but has reportedly gained a spot at Gatwick as part of “exploring options” for a possible return to London.

Newly-minted airline CEO Nikhil Ravishankar, who took over from Greg Foran last month, name-drops London, India and Manila as “three places we would go tomorrow if we could, and we want to get there as quickly as we can.”

“Those are places that we know New Zealanders are interested in being connected to,” Ravishankar tells NZ news outlet Stuff, describing the trio as “some really critical routes that make a lot of sense.”

“I think all three of those are equally important for us, but India and London are top of the list,” he says. “Getting those two routes going will be mission-critical for us.”

“There are a lot of reasons why New Zealand should be connected to the United Kingdom. It's a very, very important, almost a cultural highway for us, and so we need to get that route up and running.”

“But equally important for us, I think, is India. It's a big, fast-growing economy. There's a fairly large local Indian population who are keen to visit family and friends back there, and vice versa, and it's a big tourism market.”

“That country's middle class is growing rapidly and they have New Zealand very high on their considerations to come visit us.”

Auckland to London, but via where?

When Executive Traveller last broached the airline's expansion plans with Air New Zealand, a spokesperson said only that the airline is “constantly reviewing our network, and we actively listen to the feedback we get from New Zealanders as to where they would love to fly.”

While India and Manila could be direct routes for Air New Zealand’s twin-aisle Boeing 787, flying between Auckland and London will require a stop-over.

Some suggested cities include Los Angeles, Hong Kong (which was used until 2013), Singapore, Vancouver, New York or even Houston.

Reshaping Airpoints status and Auckland lounges

International travellers make up just over one-third of Air New Zealand’s total passenger base but generates twice the revenue of domestic routes, at around NZ$4bn per year.

The airline says that 50% of those passengers are leisure travellers, 12% fly for business and 38% fall into the ‘visiting friends and relatives’ category.

However, international growth remains hobbled.

One-fifth of the airline’s fleet is grounded due to engine trouble, while delivery of the first new Boeing 787 jets has now been pushed back to early 2026.

Ravishankar also confirmed the imminent debut of a new ‘super frequent flyer’ status tier for its Airpoints loyalty program.

As previously reported, this will sit above Airpoints Elite as the highest publicly-available status achievable by flying.

Perks will include access to the new international Elite Lounge at Auckland, which is due to open in the second half of 2026, plus complimentary upgrades to unsold Business Premier Luxe suites.

Also read: Air New Zealand reveals new flagship Auckland lounges