Air New Zealand has annouced plans to begin flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina from December 2015.
The new three-times-weekly, year-round services from Auckland will be operated by the airline’s Boeing 777-200ERs.
Subject to regulatory approvals, Aerolineas Argentinas will codeshare on the flights, and on connecting trans-Tasman flights to Australia, while Air New Zealand will codeshare with Aerolineas from Buenos Aires on services to Brazil.
“We’ve been very clear about our aspirations for growth in the Pacific Rim,” Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon said in a statement.
“Our flights to Singapore commence next month and this new route to Buenos Aires further strengthens our network in the Pacific Rim. Argentina is an exciting new destination for New Zealanders, and with seamless one-stop connectivity through Auckland it will provide a fantastic opportunity for Australians as well.”
The new flights will have a flight time of approximately 12 hours, and will go on sale from March next year.
They will be the only direct connections between New Zealand and Argentina after Aerolineas ceased Auckland services, which continued on to Sydney, in June 2012, in favour of direct flights to Sydney (which it subsequently withdrew from earlier this year).
LAN, meanhile, operates flights from Santiago, Chile to Auckland and then on to Sydney.
Buenos Aires will become Air New Zealand’s 28th international destination.
