Air New Zealand will spend $100 million upgrading its fleet of Boeing 777-200ERs to match its newer long-haul aircraft.
The carrier said its eight -200ERs, which entered service in 2005, will be upgraded starting in the second quarter of 2014 and should be complete within a year. The work will bring the -200ERs in line with Air NZ’s 777-300ERs and the 787-9 Dreamliners scheduled to begin arriving in mid-2014.
The upgrades will include new Panasonic eXlite in-flight entertainment systems and new seats across Business Premier, premium economy and economy classes.
“Air New Zealand was the first to deliver a lie-flat sleeping experience to our economy customers through our hugely successful Skycouch product, and we are excited about enabling many more customers to experience this on our 777-200ERs,” says Mr Thompson.
Some of the updated aircraft will also receive the airline’s new livery.
The work will be undertaken at Air NZ’s Auckland engineering base.
