Ann: GENERAL: AIA: AIAL China Southern Airlines i

• Release Date: 10/07/13 17:01
• Summary: GENERAL: AIA: AIAL China Southern Airlines increasing flights
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AIA
10/07/2013 15:01
GENERAL

REL: 1501 HRS Auckland International Airport Limited

GENERAL: AIA: AIAL China Southern Airlines increasing flights

China Southern Airlines increasing flights on Guangzhou to Auckland route

Auckland Airport has welcomed the decision by China Southern Airlines to
increase its Guangzhou to Auckland service to ten flights each week.
The decision will mean the number of flights on the Guangzhou to Auckland
route will increase from seven to ten weekly flights over the 2013 / 2014
peak summer period and will also see a brand new Boeing 787 aircraft put on
the route for the three additional flights.
Glenn Wedlock, Auckland Airport general manager aeronautical commercial, is
delighted with the announcement and says that the airport and China Southern
have been working closely together for the past year to achieve this outcome.

"We have been very focused in recent years on growing connections between New
Zealand and China to ensure we capture growth out of this booming market,"
says Mr Wedlock.  "This most recent increase in services by China Southern
Airlines will cover the 2014 Chinese New Year which is the busiest time for
Chinese to travel."
"The 2013 Chinese New Year saw Auckland Airport welcome a record high volume
of Chinese passengers and this new increase in services provides the capacity
to reach a new record for the 2014 Chinese New Year. We also saw a 30%
increase in arrivals from China for the year ending May 2013 which meant
almost 50,000 extra Chinese visitors - nearly two and half times the increase
in Australian visitors for the year."
"On top of this, the benefit in pure tourism spend from China is now almost
$700 million which has grown by over $300 million since China Southern first
commenced services to New Zealand in 2011. We anticipate that these latest
extra flights will add at least a further $30 million in spend over the peak
summer period this year. This will not only directly benefit the New Zealand
tourism economy but the improved airfreight access over this critical period
will also benefit the wider export economy."
The additional flights will see an extra 18,000 seats on the Guangzhou to
Auckland route during the summer peak period of 4 Dec 2013 to 28 Feb 2014 and
the use of the brand new Boeing 787 aircraft will mean it is the first New
Zealand Boeing 787 route.
China Southern Airlines general manager New Zealand, Mr Mike Ma, says that
launching the first Boeing 787 long haul route is a significant milestone for
China Southern Airlines and shows the commitment the airline has to the New
Zealand market.
"China Southern has seen great increase in demand from the China market for
our New Zealand services and the rapid capacity growth that the Guangzhou to
Auckland route has experienced is an obvious reflection of this."
Mr Henry He, China Southern Airlines general manager Australasia, adds that
Australasia is one of China Southern Airlines' key focus markets.  "We are
impressed with the success our service has seen so far in Australasia and
these additional summer services reflect the high demand we have experienced
and the confidence we have in these markets moving forward."
For more information about the additional services please visit
www.csair.com.

Ends
For further information, please contact:
Katie Moore
+64 9 255 9061
+64 27 473 1989
End CA:00238435 For:AIA    Type:GENERAL    Time:2013-07-10 15:01:45