Direct flights connecting New Zealand to India could be in place as early as 2028 and a fresh search for Malaysian Airlines MH370 wreckage has been approved. Video / NZ Herald
Herald political reporter Adam Pearse is in India covering the Prime Minister’s visit.
Airlines in New Zealand and India will investigate introducing a direct flight between the two countries by 2028.
The heads of Air New Zealand and Air India today announced their intentions to explore a direct flight while in Mumbai as part of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s official visit to the subcontinent.
It was among the first significant developments during Luxon’s second leg of a tiring India visit which is understood to have prompted delays to some events so the Prime Minister could have some respite after a demanding schedule.
Revealed at a tourism and travel-themed event, today’s flight announcement also featured a new sharing arrangement between the two airlines concerning 16 routes between India, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
The arrangement would allow travellers from several Indian cities to fly with Air India to Australia or Singapore, before jumping on an Air New Zealand flight to Aotearoa.
“This codeshare agreement is an important first step, offering more options for customers while we work to understand what a direct service could look like,” outgoing Air NZ chief executive Greg Foran said.
The codeshare flights wouldn’t be immediately available, instead being introduced “progressively, subject to due regulatory approvals”, he said.
Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran (left) speaks to media alongside Tourism NZ CEO Rene de Monchy in India. Photo / Adam Pearse
Foran, fronting a press conference at the majestic Taj Mahal Palace, estimated there was a global aircraft shortage of about 2000 as main suppliers struggled to meet demand.
Air NZ had ordered planes that were five years late, Foran said.
The announcement followed another partnership Foran signed with Indian multinational Tata Consultancy Services, that involved harnessing new technologies like artificial intelligence to make the airline more efficient and improve the travelling experience.
Over the week, Luxon had referenced on several occasions the absence of a direct flight to India. During his speech at a business event in New Delhi yesterday, Luxon said Foran and Air NZ chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh were looking into the matter.
Establishing stronger flight connections between the two countries aligned well with the themes of Luxon’s visit, which were anchored in broadening New Zealand’s relationship with India.
New Zealand and Maharashtra are going for economic growth.
We both know this is the way to create more jobs and raise incomes.
Pleasure to meet Mumbai Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to talk economic growth and where we might partner in the future for mutual benefit. pic.twitter.com/ALfIco4sBC
The prospect of a free trade deal had been front and centre from the moment Luxon touched down on Sunday when the two governments confirmed formal negotiations would resume after 10 years and 10 failed rounds of talks.
Luxon had promoted tourism as one of New Zealand’s sectors that appealed to India. About 82,000 Indians travelled to New Zealand last year but it had been estimated that number could inflate to 500,000 if access was broadened.
An Air India plane sits on the tarmac in Mumbai, India. Photo / Interest.co.nz
Before the travel event, Luxon, Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell and members of the travelling delegations attended a function at the Bombay Stock Exchange, concluded by Luxon hitting the gong to close the markets for the day.
Both Luxon and Mitchell appeared visibly fatigued. In a nod to his hectic schedule, Luxon’s planned gong strike at 5pm (local time) was late by three minutes.
While it is common for a Prime Minister’s planned engagements to change during an official visit, Luxon’s itinerary had been re-shaped multiple times since touching down on Sunday, thanks in part to Indian PM Narendra Modi accommodating more time for the leaders to socialise.
Energy levels within the delegation were also being challenged by late nights and early starts, causing some to miss their planned transport to the airport ahead of yesterday’s flight to Mumbai.
Luxon had built up a reputation as a Prime Minister who thrived under the international spotlight. Back in New Zealand, he often cited his ability to work long hours with only a few hours of sleep.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon holds a late media stand-up from the historic Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, India. Photo / Adam Pearse
However, the evening’s media stand-up in India was delayed two hours. Luxon was also absent from an engagement with a renowned Indian chef. It is understood Luxon took the time to rest ahead of later events.
Speaking to media, Luxon claimed he’d had to read some papers and “take a beat”. He rebuffed suggestions the visit’s schedule had taken its toll, describing himself as an “energiser bunny”.
On a potential direct flight to India, Luxon committed the Government’s every effort to help progress the 2028 timeline, while also pointing to the international plane shortage as a key roadblock.
Even as Luxon might be grateful for the respite, he may feel a bit jealous he wasn’t able to meet celebrity chef Ranveer Brar, who had been lined up to do a brief cooking demonstration with the Prime Minister for his social audience numbering in the millions.
Step up delegation members and cricket stars Ross Taylor and Ajaz Patel, who filled in for Luxon as last-minute replacements alongside Tourism Minister Louise Upston.
Brar showed the trio a delightful fried potato dish served with chutney made with New Zealand kiwifruit.
It was a slick operation. Brar, also a Masterchef India judge, clearly knew how to appeal to his audience as he played up to the cameras that surrounded him.
Patel and Taylor, who are used to such a spotlight, appeared comfortable throughout. Upston, despite the National Party’s love of posting social media clips, was a bit at sea to begin with but soon found her groove.
Patel, who was born in Mumbai, fancied himself a keen chef and secretly hoped Brar would help him appear on the show’s celebrity edition.
Indian chef Ranveer Brar explains his dish to Tourism Minister Louise Upston (right) and Black Cap stars Ajaz Patel and Ross Taylor while in Mumbai, India. Photo / Adam Pearse
Patel will seemingly have his opportunity in the near future, Brar saying he would put him on the show if Patel cooked him a decent meal during his next visit to New Zealand.
However, the most stoked out of the three was easily Taylor. Upon Upston telling Brar his dish would pair well with a New Zealand wine, Brar produced a bottle of Taylor’s own Marlborough sauvignon blanc.
With Taylor expecting to begin exporting to India in the coming weeks, it was hardly an unwelcome endorsement from someone whose social following was about 20 million.
The tourism event was the final engagement of the day and aside from the flight announcement, it provided some entertainment for a weary crowd through a typically vibrant kapa haka performance from the Te Whānau a Apanui group, who had travelled as part of Luxon’s delegation.
While inviting volunteers up to the stage to learn how to do the haka, a familiar face in New Zealand First MP Andy Foster appeared alongside those seeking to hone their skills, much to the enjoyment of his current and former Parliamentary colleagues.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
