Ann: GENERAL: AIA: AIAL welcomes additional China

• Release Date: 22/01/14 12:00
• Summary: GENERAL: AIA: AIAL welcomes additional China Southern Airlines flights
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					AIA
22/01/2014 10:00
GENERAL

REL: 1000 HRS Auckland International Airport Limited

GENERAL: AIA: AIAL welcomes additional China Southern Airlines flights

Media Release
22 January 2014

Auckland Airport welcomes additional China Southern Airlines flights on
Guangzhou to Auckland route

Auckland Airport has welcomed the decision by China Southern Airlines to
extend its offering of 10 flights per week on the Guangzhou to Auckland route
until 30 October 2014.

China Southern Airlines announced last year that it was increasing the number
of weekly flights on this route from seven to ten over the 2013 / 2014 peak
summer period. Due to continued strong demand for this service and growth of
the Canton route services, China Southern Airlines has made the decision to
extend this period.

The additional flights will see an extra 45,000 seats on the Guangzhou to
Auckland route during the extended period of 28 February to 30 October 2014,
which will be serviced by the new Boeing 787 aircraft.

Glenn Wedlock, Auckland Airport's general manager aeronautical commercial,
says, "This strong growth in Chinese direct arrivals to New Zealand has meant
we are now ahead of our Ambition 2020 direct service capacity target of
573,000 visitor arrivals from China.  This is as a result of our 'Faster,
Higher, Stronger' business strategy to grow travel markets."

"The recent signing of a cooperation agreement between Auckland Airport and
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport will help to build air traffic on the
Canton route across the Guangzhou hub and support the added flight
frequency."

"This latest announcement from China Southern Airlines is a response to the
high Chinese demand for direct New Zealand air services as opposed to the
more traditional one-stop Australia and New Zealand holidays," says Mr
Wedlock.

"The increases in capacity and connectivity resulting from this China
Southern announcement also show the significance of our tourism industry's
aspiration to increase air services and deliver growth for the country, as
outlined in the New Zealand Tourism Industry Association's 'Tourism 2025
Strategy."

Mr Henry He, China Southern Airlines' general manager Australasia, says "We
are very happy with the success that China Southern Airlines has experienced
in New Zealand and this latest increase in flights is a reflection of this."

"Our Guangzhou to Auckland service offers convenient morning and evening
departure and arrival options. We also provide further services on our
growing network from Guangzhou through to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Asian
destinations including India and Japan," says Mr He.  "As well as this we now
offer a direct service from Guangzhou to New York, providing even more
connectivity for New Zealanders."

"New Zealanders are also entitled to 72 hours visa-free entry to Guangzhou.
This means they can fully explore the delights of the city when on their way
to another destination."

Ends

For further information please contact:
Katie Moore
+64 9 255 9061
+64 27 473 1989
[email protected]
End CA:00246279 For:AIA    Type:GENERAL    Time:2014-01-22 10:00:47