Air New Zealand has today announced it will commence reciprocal codeshare flights with Air China effective from 1 July 2007. The agreement will see Air China codeshare on Air New Zealands services between Shanghai and Auckland and selected Trans-tasman services. In return Air New Zealand will code-share on Air Chinas International services between China and Australia.

Air New Zealand is delighted to have reached agreement with our new partner and the code share will open up both the Chinese and New Zealand markets to a greater audience. We are also pleased to acknowledge that Air China will join Star Alliance in December 2007, says Group General Manager International Airline, Ed Sims.

Weve been delighted with the popularity of Air New Zealands Shanghai service and demand on the route continues to grow. Todays announcement is a sign of our commitment to the China/New Zealand market and positions the airline to take advantage of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 says Mr Sims.

Over the past year visitor arrivals from China have increased by 24% to 116,000 whilst the number of Kiwis visiting China has also increased by 5% to 53,000.

Air New Zealand currently operates three times weekly services to Shanghai increasing to five times weekly from 29 October 2007.
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