SIA, Air New Zealand add 17% more capacity for winter skies

The Singapore flag carrier will deploy Airbus A380s on daily Auckland services.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Air New Zealand will add 72,000 seats on flights linking Singapore with Auckland and Christchurch for the Northern Winter 2026 season, lifting capacity by 17%.

The expanded schedule will run from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, bringing total capacity to over 490,000 seats, the airlines said in a statement.

The New Zealand carrier will launch three weekly non-stop flights between Singapore and Christchurch using Boeing 787 aircraft.

The two airlines will operate 15 weekly Christchurch services during the peak months from November 2026 to February 2027, including SIA’s existing 12 weekly flights and Air New Zealand’s three weekly services.

Air New Zealand will also add four weekly services to Auckland, using Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, whilst SIA will adjust its Auckland schedule from three daily flights to two daily flights.

The Singapore flag carrier will also deploy the Airbus A380 on daily SQ285 and SQ286 services during the season, replacing the Boeing 777-300ER.

Air New Zealand Chief Operations and Alliances Officer Michael Williams said the expansion would give travellers more options to reach the country through Singapore from markets such as Southeast Asia, India, the UK, and Europe.

“The introduction of Air New Zealand’s Christchurch services is especially exciting because it creates more options for visitors to access some of New Zealand’s most popular destinations in the South Island,” Williams added.

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