An A321neo flew into Queenstown on a proving flight in March.
Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and standards officer Captain David Morgan was quoted at that time as saying the flight was "an exciting step forward for operations in Queenstown" and Air New Zealand looked forward "to welcoming our customers on board in the coming weeks".
However, Air New Zealand external communications manager Lauren Bowerman said yesterday Air New Zealand "don't currently have plans to operate the A321neo aircraft to Queenstown".
Ms Bowerman did not respond to a request for an explanation for the change.
The A321neo has 214 seats compared with the 165 of the A320 planes now servicing Queenstown.
Asked if Queenstown Airport might be unsuitable for the larger plane, Auckland aviation expert Peter Clark said he did not believe that was the case.
"Basically, the capability is exactly the same as the A320.
"It's only a slightly longer aircraft and a slightly heavier weight."
Mr Clark said the aircraft was being used on transtasman and Pacific routes but he could not see a need for it in the case of Queenstown.
Air New Zealand took delivery of the first of its new A321neo aircraft in November as part of a $2.8billion upgrade of its fleet.
It is 15% more efficient than the A320s it replaces and has improved passenger comfort.
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Comments
Mark, despite being 7m longer and with nearly 20 ton more capacity, the A321neo can take off on a 'just shorter' runway than the A320.
You have to bear in mind that flights in & out of ZQN come in on restricted lighter loads - hence they accept a shorter than required runway.
The problem for the A321neo is with 50 more pax & more weight - having to stop on a short icy runway in the mountains may have made pilots have a say on this decision.
However if pax numbers are reduced and the economies are still there, when Air NZ phase out the A320 and totally run with the A321neo - then the game may change.
An interesting related moot is the NZ public wanting jet comfort on internal routes. They take longer to load will mean loss of frequency. For that the A220-100 at 120 pax is the logical contender, requiring only a 1,400m runway. Easy for ZQN.
Airlines would rather less frequency and larger capacity, so a bigger airport with long runway with less closures needed. And you know where that is Mark!
In the meantime Mark as you know, ZQN is likely to be out of the equation by then due to noise, footprint and no room for the passengers in the resort!