Why Auckland-Brazil air links could be on the radar

Ipanema Beach in Rio de Jareiro, Brazil. Photo / Curioso

Auckland Airport route planners have identified Brazil as a strong commercial opportunity for non-stop flights.

Links between New Zealand and the country are growing as more Brazilians come to this country to live and the megalopolis of São Paulo within range of aircraft such as Boeing 787 Dreamliners. One aviation consultant says non-stop flights could bring up 100,000 passengers each way through this country every year.

Non-stop flights would be a first to the country of more than 210 million. They were considered by Air New Zealand several years ago and other countries in South America are served or have been served before.

Currently, Latam operates from Santiago to Auckland (continuing to Sydney), one of the most high-yielding international services to and from Auckland. The airline has recovered strongly from the pandemic and operates Melbourne to Santiago nonstop. Qantas flies services from Sydney to Santiago.

Air New Zealand quit a short-lived Auckland-Buenos Aires service before the pandemic hit and Aerolíneas Argentinas has flown that route before. Air New Zealand is an unlikely starter for returning to the continent any time soon as it is concentrating its limited supply of long-haul aircraft into North America and proven routes in Asia.

Scott Tasker, general manager customer and aeronautical at Auckland Airport, said the Latam service into Santiago provided a good hub for other countries in South America given the airline’s big network. However, there was growing demand for links into Brazil.

“You are seeing increasing numbers starting to flow [to Brazil] through other hubs like Dallas Fort-Worth and Houston, even Doha, which is quite a long journey. We could have more capacity in due course and Brazil would be fantastic,” Tasker said.

Auckland Airport handled 90 per cent of long-haul connections and was continually promoting opportunities.

“We have discussions with many airlines in many parts of the world about short-term and more longer-term opportunities to make sure that New Zealand is on the radar,” Tasker said.

Rachel Williams, founder of Viva Expeditions, a leading travel agency for Latin America and Antarctica, said competition to South America would be welcome for Kiwis wanting to get to the eastern side of the continent.

Williams, also a director of the Latin America New Zealand Business Council, said air links would boost opportunities for exporters and education providers with inbound tourism on top of that. Prices for flights between Auckland and Santiago could get cheaper when Latam starts three times a week services between Sydney and Chile’s biggest city later this year.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade figures show that in 2022 New Zealand exported $119.45 million of total goods to Brazil and imported $352.62m.

“However, with a large population of more than 217 million people, and strong demand for niche solutions in areas such as agriculture, security, technology and mining (and strong trade in services in the education and tourism sectors), Brazil can provide a high payoff to those willing to invest time and energy,” Mfat says.

Aviation advisor to the newly formed New Zealand Brazil Business Chamber (NZBBC) and managing director of Eagle Aviation Consulting, Simon Russell, is working with the aviation and business communities here and in Brazil on feasibility of an Auckland to São Paulo non-stop flight.

“Recent aircraft developments in long-range technology mean an Auckland-São Paulo non-stop flight is not only feasible, but potentially highly desirable to a wide range of travellers including business traffic, visiting friends and relatives [VFR] and one-stop connectivity through Auckland,” Russell said.

At a great circle distance of about 12,045km non-stop from São Paulo, Auckland flying time is similar to a flight to Houston or Dallas and there is the opportunity of high-value cargo and premium produce by air in both directions, as well as passenger demand, either as a destination or transit hub.

This could include “significant” China-Brazil traffic, in addition to historical Japan-Brazil air travel demand to connect with São Paulo, the largest Japanese population outside Japan. If non-stop connections between India and Auckland start, this could be another connecting market.

“Auckland- São Paulo is potentially a novel and attractive stopover destination for air traffic from Asia to connect over Auckland on the way to Latin America as a one-stop, and also via South America for Europeans southbound and northbound New Zealand travellers,” Russell said.

As the largest airport and major hub of Latin America, São Paulo has non-stop connections to all of Brazil and major cities across the continent, plus frequent services to North America, Britain/Europe and the Middle East/Africa.

Russell said the Brazilian ethnic-origin population of Australia and New Zealand is estimated as about 100,000 and this number has steadily been growing over the past five to 10 years with migration to both New Zealand and Australia for work, study, and residency.

Various traffic estimates indicate 30 per cent of air travellers from Australasia have a final destination of Brazil, so a non-stop flight offering satisfies point-to-point demand not only for Australasia but also for one-stop connections from Asia.

With potential for three to seven flights a week, Auckland could gain an additional 50,000-100,000 passengers each way every year, with benefits to the city as a destination or transit point from a new traffic source on the way to Australia or Asia representing significant stopover value for the city.

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.