Backing regional New Zealand Air New Zealand and Air Chathams interline partnership takes off in Whakatāne
The new partnership allows customers to book a single ticket for journeys that combine domestic flights on both airlines, beginning with services to or from Whakatāne. Checked baggage will be transferred through to the customer's final destination, making for a smoother, more seamless travel experience.
Associate Transport Minister, James Meager, says the interline agreement is a potential industry gamechanger.
"The Government has been focused on strengthening the foundations of regional connectivity, and this partnership is another step in achieving this goal. These connections are vital for local economies, by ensuring access to tourism, business, education and healthcare. This is about supporting regional New Zealand and keeping it connected."
Air New Zealand's incoming CEO, Nikhil Ravishankar, says Air New Zealand exists to connect New Zealanders to each other and the world, and partnerships like this one with Air Chathams will help both airlines to strengthen connectivity.
"By working together, we're making it easier for customers in more parts of the country to stay connected. For example, someone travelling from Whakatāne to Kerikeri can now book a single journey, connecting onto an Air New Zealand service.
"It's about giving customers more choice, greater regional connectivity, and a smoother travel experience. This partnership also lets us test a model that could strengthen connections for other regional communities in the future. This is all about supporting more parts of Aotearoa, as well as supporting local businesses and communities."
Air Chathams CEO, Duane Emeny, says the partnership will help deliver more choice and reach for regional customers, and provide a platform to promote Whakatāne to more visitors.
"As a proudly regional airline, we're pleased to work alongside Air New Zealand to improve access for our Whakatāne community. This agreement gives us greater visibility through Air New Zealand's sales channels, while ensuring our local customers enjoy a more connected travel experience.
"This partnership is an important first step and we see real potential to build on it with further regional connections in the future and continue to help unlock opportunities for growth, employment and mobility across the country," says Duane Emeny.
Whakatāne District Council Chief Executive, Steven Perdia, says the Council "has long advocated for something like an interline arrangement, so this is a welcomed outcome. The partnership is great news for Whakatāne and the wider Eastern Bay of Plenty, and it's good to see Air New Zealand and Air Chathams work together in support of regional New Zealand. Reliable air connections keep our people connected for business, education, health and to whānau, and also help open the door for more visitors to experience everything our district has to offer."
Under the agreement Air New Zealand will initially sell Air Chathams' Whakatāne-Auckland services as part of connecting journeys, for example Whakatāne to Auckland to Queenstown, or Dunedin to Auckland to Whakatāne. Further regional connections will be considered at a later stage.
ENDS
Issued by Air New Zealand Communications
Email: media@airnz.co.nz │ Phone: +64 21 747 320
About Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 9.9 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. In 2024, the airline flew more than 16 million passengers. Air New Zealand was named 2025 World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety.
Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, the Pacific Islands, Asia and North America, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Airpoints, Air New Zealand's loyalty programme, is seen as the most valuable loyalty programme in New Zealand with more than 4 million members. It allows members to earn Airpoints Dollars™ and Status Points for VIP benefits in the air and on the ground. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.
About Star Alliance
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, based on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition and seamless service. Since inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a focus on improving customer experience across the Alliance journey.
The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United.
Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 16,000 daily flights to almost 1,200 airports in 186 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partners Juneyao Airlines and THAI Smile Airways.
For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com