'All Black' Air NZ Boeing arrives in Auckland

Air New Zealand's newest Boeing 777-300ER arrived in Auckland this morning. The plane is the largest commercially operated aircraft to be painted black. Photo / Greg Bowker

The latest addition to the Air New Zealand fleet, a brand new Boeing 777-300, arrived in New Zealand today bedecked in All Black colours.

The company said it is the world's largest commercially operated aircraft to be painted black.

The paint job, which includes a silver fern that extends across the rear of the aircraft up to its tail, was complex, requiring 14 expert painters at Boeing working in shifts 24 hours a day to get the job done, Air NZ said.

The paint job is part of Air New Zealand's sponsorship of the New Zealand Rugby Union and the All Blacks.

"It flies magnificently,'' Air New Zealand chief pilot captain David Morgan told APNZ on the tarmac at Auckland airport after the 15-hour flight from Boeing's headquarters in Seattle.

The 777-300 is the replacement aircraft for the airline's aging Boeing 747 fleet, which is being phased out.

The new plane carries around 340 passengers compared with around 380 for the 747, but the giant twin-engined jet plane offers far greater fuel efficiency than the gas guzzling 747s.

For the trip from Seatle, the 777-300 burned around 100 tonnes of fuel. The likely fuel consumption for a 747 for the same trip have been around 140 tonnes, Morgan said.

The new plane is the fifth and final 777-300 to be added to the fleet.