Auckland (Avneet Kaur)
Direct flights between New Zealand and India may finally be moving closer to reality, with Air New Zealand confirming it is actively studying the possibility of launching non-stop services to India amid strengthening economic and people-to-people ties.
Speaking on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual meeting, Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar said the airline is assessing the commercial viability of direct flights to India. He said the recently signed New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement and the growing Indian community in New Zealand have created fresh opportunities for deeper engagement between the two countries.
At present, passengers travelling between India and New Zealand must transit through Singapore or Australia. Air New Zealand already has a codeshare partnership with Air India and works closely with both Air India and Singapore Airlines through the Star Alliance network.
In March 2025, Air India and Air New Zealand signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand cooperation across 16 routes connecting India, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The agreement also includes plans to explore a direct India-New Zealand service by the end of 2028, subject to aircraft availability and regulatory approvals.
Under the current arrangement, travellers from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai can connect through Singapore, Sydney or Melbourne before flying on Air New Zealand services to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.
The development comes as New Zealand’s Indian community continues to grow rapidly. According to the 2023 Census, Indians are the country’s third-largest ethnic group, numbering more than 292,000 people, while tens of thousands of Indian citizens currently live in New Zealand on student, work and residence visas. India also remains one of New Zealand’s largest sources of migrants and international students.
A direct air link is expected to bring major benefits to both countries. Besides reducing travel time and eliminating stopovers, it would boost tourism, trade and investment, strengthen family connections and provide easier access for students and skilled workers. New Zealand and India currently have annual two-way trade worth nearly NZ$4 billion, a figure expected to grow further under the recently signed Free Trade Agreement.
For years, members of the Indian diaspora have been calling for non-stop flights, describing them as a “missing link” in relations between the two countries. While a launch is still several years away, Air New Zealand’s latest comments indicate that the long-awaited dream of direct India-New Zealand flights is now one step closer to becoming a reality.
