Air New Zealand CCO: New 787s to eliminate payload restrictions on Auckland-New York service
Air New Zealand CCO Jeremy O'Brien, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific, confirmed (31-Jul-2025) the airline expects to receive its first two new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with GE Aerospace engines and ultra long haul capability in Feb/Mar-2026. Mr O'Brien said the aircraft will enable the operation of Auckland-New York service without payload restrictions, which "will really change the commercial dynamics" on the route. He said the aircraft will also feature "significantly increased density of the premium cabins", and commented: "We believe there's a significant market [for premium]... we're going really hard after that".
Background ✨
Air New Zealand retrofitted its first Boeing 787-9 with new premium cabins, which arrived in Auckland on 16-Apr-2025 after 184 days in Singapore, and planned to deploy it on Auckland-Brisbane and Auckland-San Francisco routes from 19-May-2025. Seven aircraft were targeted for completion by the end of 2025, with all 14 to be updated by the end of 20261 2.