Air New Zealand Plans Nonstop Service to Newark From Auckland

Air New Zealand’s long-awaited nonstop service between Auckland (AKL) and Newark (EWR) has officially been put back on the table, now with an anticipated start date before the end of 2022.

The news comes not long after Air New Zealand announced it would resume service to 4 U.S. cities as the nation begins to lift some of the most stringent border restrictions in the world that were in place since the start of the pandemic.

The exact launch date for the exciting new route has yet to be decided. When it does finally commence, it will be the sixth U.S. destination to see nonstop Air New Zealand service from Auckland.

“Looking further out to the end of this calendar year, we will be ramping up more passenger flights to North America, and [we are] looking forward to starting up our direct service to New York City,” said Greg Foran, CEO of Air New Zealand.

Here’s what we know so far about the exciting new route for New Yorkers.

Air New Zealand’s Nonstop Service From Auckland (AKL) to Newark (EWR)

Originally this route was supposed to start in 2020, but the pandemic quickly put an end to that.

As mentioned earlier, the exact details are of these flights have yet to be released. However, the schedule for the 3-times-weekly service was previously planned as follows:

Depart Auckland (AKL) 7:55 p.m. — Arrive Newark (EWR) 5:35 p.m.
Depart Newark (EWR) 7:05 p.m. — Arrive Auckland (AKL) 6:45 a.m. (+2)

Air New Zealand's route from Auckland to Newark — At 8,810 miles, this route will be among the world’s longest once it launches. Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

For those wishing to head to New Zealand before this route is launched, you can jump on a nonstop flight from Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) as of March 14, 2022, Honolulu (HNL) as of July 4, 2022, Houston (IAH) as of July 7, 2022, and Chicago (ORD) as of September 30, 2022.

Though not confirmed, passengers can expect to fly on the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. These aircraft are also scheduled to operate each of the airline’s other 5 U.S. routes and are the best option in the airline’s fleet to perform such long journeys.

Hot Tip: As exciting as nonstop flights between New York City and New Zealand are, fares are not likely to be cheap. Luckily, there are several ways to use points and miles to fly to New Zealand that could save you a lot of cash.

Final Thoughts

Travel to New Zealand is back, and with it, the prospect of nonstop service from Newark (EWR) to Auckland (AKL) by the end of 2022. In the meantime, the time is right to start planning that bucket list trip!