The Qantas and Emirates partnership in New Zealand will be opening for bookings from 14 August 2013, subject to regulatory approval.
Aligned fares, frequent flyer benefits and code share arrangements will all be switched on across the Tasman. It will make New Zealand part of a joint Qantas-Emirates network, which includes Australia, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and the UK, via the hub in Dubai.
Together, the airlines will operate around 130 services per week from Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown to Australian east coast cities, then onwards to more than 65 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Existing capacity on trans-Tasman routes that both Qantas and Emirates fly has been guaranteed as part of regulatory approvals.
Emirates’ trans-Tasman services are operated by the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777, while Qantas’ services are operated by a dedicated fleet of next-generation Boeing 737-800s.
“The trans-Tasman link is a key piece of the Emirates-Qantas jigsaw and further strengthens what we can deliver under the partnership, said Barry Brown, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, Commercial Operations East.
“From New Zealand, we will now be able to offer travel out of Wellington and Queenstown, in addition to Auckland and Christchurch. Overall, weekly departures from New Zealand will go from 28 to over 140, jointly reaching 55 points in Australia, and of course, onwards to our magnificent hub in Dubai.”
