Time right for direct air services between India and Auckland says airport boss

NZ has used Bollywood stars such Sidarth Malhotra to attract Indian tourists.

Auckland Airport says there is scope for direct air services between Auckland and India.

Business groups have also called for direct links with one urging Air India to redeploy one of its 10 services to Sydney and Melbourne to Auckland.

The airline has Boeing 777 aircraft that have the range to link the New Zealand city with Mumbai or Delhi.

In a paper released at Auckland Airport' travel summit today, the company's chief executive Adrian Littlewood said for Indian tourists, travelling to New Zealand was a significant undertaking.

"It's a long journey involving at least one stopover and considerable expense when compared with other destination choices."

Despite this, India is New Zealand's 10th largest source of international visitors with 53,424 arriving in the country in the year ending February 2017.

Visitor arrivals from India have 79 per cent growth over the past five years with every sign that this will continue at an increasing pace.

As part of its objective to grow and develop profitable air services, Auckland Airport's network passenger flow analysis indicates that there is an opportunity to create a direct link between Auckland and either Mumbai or Delhi.

Research into the high value Indian traveller shows that New Zealand was increasingly seen as a "hot" destination, somewhere that offers a wide range of choices for the discerning traveller in a country that's welcoming and culturally accessible.

The New Zealand visitor experience for Indian travellers is almost the exact opposite of what they encounter in their day to day lives, Littlewood said in a foreword to the report.

''They substitute congestion and overcrowding for wide open spaces, spectacular scenery and relaxed living. ''

Indian visitors remain in New Zealand, on average, significantly longer than visitors from other markets and their per capita contribution to the New Zealand economy is considerable. India is potentially one of our most valuable sources of foreign exchange earnings from tourism on a per-visitor basis.

The Auckland-based India Trade Alliance last week suggested Air India should divert one of its 10 direct flights per week to Sydney and Melbourne to Auckland.

Air India has not yet responded to questions about interest in serving this country but Air New Zealand has no plans to link the two countries.

Air New Zealand connected with India through its joint-venture alliance with Singapore Airlines.

''We are fully committed to our alliance with Singapore Airlines and have no current plans to introduce direct flights to India,'' a spokeswoman said today.

An upgraded air services agreement was signed last May giving New Zealand airlines the ability to code-share on routes to seven Indian cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.