Executives from China Southern Airlines arrived in Queenstown yesterday to discuss spinoffs from the new Guangzhou-Auckland service.
On Sunday, China Southern Airlines and Auckland International Airport Ltd announced a new service between the two destinations, due to begin in April.
Yesterday morning, China Southern Airlines executive vice-president He Zongkai, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Co deputy general manager Ma Xinhang and Auckland Airport aeronautical business development general manager Glenn Wedlock arrived in Queenstown to continue discussions with Queenstown Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson and chairman Mark Taylor.
Mr Sanderson told the Otago Daily Times the visit was a result of the strategic alliance between Queenstown and Auckland airports announced in July.
Queenstown Airport had been part of some of the discussions with China Southern ahead of the announcement about the Guangzhou-Auckland service.
"They came through [yesterday] and ... we had some discussions on Queenstown and how they can connect their flights from China into Queenstown."
The service would be going from Guangzhou to Melbourne and then on to Auckland, but Mr Sanderson said programmes needed to be established to bring the tourists to the resort, either by a flight from Auckland to Queenstown and then connecting them to Melbourne for the return leg, or from Melbourne to Queenstown and connecting with Auckland for the return leg.
"They are really focused on Queenstown because they recognise the destination, arguably, as the premier destination in New Zealand.
The new service would add more than 85,000 Chinese seats to New Zealand per annum and Mr Sanderson said the resort wanted to attract as many of them as possible.
"They're not always short-stay - Chinese ... are actually high-spending visitors as well."
The new Guangzhou-Auckland route will initially be served by A330-300 aircraft (284 seat two-class) running three times a week, which equates to over 85,000 additional seats on offer each year connecting Auckland to mainland China.
