New Taipei-to-Auckland flights and extra services to Kuala Lumpur will spur thousands more visitors into Queenstown and bolster connections to crucial markets in Southeast Asia, India and China, airport boss Steve Sanderson says.
Auckland Airport announced yesterday its "increased focus" on key Asian growth markets were "gaining further momentum", with the addition of China Airlines flights to Taipei from Januaryand extra Malaysia Airlines flights to Kuala Lumpur starting in March.
Mr Sanderson, the Queenstown Airport Corporation chief executive, said the corporation's "collaboration" with Auckland Airport to win the long-haul flights would add 365,000 more seats connecting to Asia.
"To have those additional Asian markets - Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur and networks into India - is a huge boost for New Zealand, from Auckland, right down to Queenstown. This is critical for our new tourism."
He said the new deals, combined with Christchurch Airport's recent Air Asia X coup, proved airports had a vital role in influencing airlines' flight routes.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Tony Everitt said the majority of long-haul overseas travellers made their way to the resort; however, there were some variations - particularly with Chinese visitors.
"A smaller proportion of Chinese tourists are getting to us at the moment.
Some of the reasons might be that the Chinese often combine the east coast of Australia with a trip to the North Island.
They then exhaust their time and money and don't make it to the South Island," Mr Everitt said.
The new China and Malaysian Airlines services would increase accessibility to a "mono-New Zealand" experience because it would lessen the reliance on Australia as a connecting route, he said.
Glenn Wedlock, general manager aeronautical business development at Auckland Airport, said the airport's alliance with Queenstown Airport had been a "significant factor in our air services development success".
"We are working with our airline customers and travel industry partners to incentivise more overseas visitors arriving at Auckland to fly on to Queenstown as New Zealand's premier tourism destination."
Malaysia Airlines will increase its frequency of service to Auckland by about 30,000 seats a year - or one service per week to a total of six services a week.
China Airlines will depart from Auckland on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
The new flights will connect with many of China Airlines' destinations across Asia, including mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and the Philippines.
