Air New Zealand ‘exploring options’ for London route return

Air New Zealand is “continuing to explore options” about a return of flights to London.

The carrier announced the closure of the route from Auckland via Los Angeles after four decades in autumn 2019, with flights to Heathrow ending in early 2020 as the pandemic hit.

However, the airline has secured take off and landing slots at Gatwick to resume the London link from next summer.

A July start has been mooted, although this has yet to be confirmed along with any proposed frequency.

Airport coordinator Airline Coordination Limited (ACL) allocated Air New Zealand 236 slots at Gatwick for the northern hemisphere summer.

The airline failed with an application for 420 slots at Heathrow, according to ACL data.

A spokesperson for the airline said: “We are constantly reviewing our network, and we actively listen to the feedback we get from New Zealanders as to where they would love to fly.

“It’s not uncommon for airlines to apply for slots in new airports as part of this network review process.  

“London is one of those destinations New Zealand has a very special connection to and we continue to explore options.”