Air New Zealand indulges in cheesy milestone celebration
Air New Zealand offers passengers cheese rolls inflight
Air New Zealand has taken a “cheesy” approach to celebrating five years since launching its longest domestic jet service, connecting Invercargill and Auckland. The airline is giving passengers cheese rolls inflight to mark the milestone.
Air New Zealand General Manager Domestic Scott Carr said the introduction of the direct service was one of the major developments on the airline's domestic network in recent years and continues to be a solid performer.
"Over the past five years, we have operated more than 1600 flights between Auckland and Invercargill, welcoming more than 236,000 customers onboard. The route is not only a staple for Southlanders but also serves as a gateway for visitors from the north to explore the wider Southland region and popular tourism areas such as Fiordland, Stewart Island and the Catlins,” said Carr.
"As well as carrying passengers, the service is also a vital cargo link with over 500 tonnes of high-value exports, including fish, pāua and lobster, winging their way to Auckland and beyond."
Great South Regional Economic Development Agency Chief Executive, Chami Abeysinghe, said the Auckland jet service has been transformational in connecting Murihiku Southland to the world.
"As our region progresses economic growth opportunities, our ability to get our high-value pastoral, seafood, and manufactured goods to our export markets in a timely manner remains critical,” Abeysinghe said. "We are truly appreciative of Air New Zealand's partnership and support to get this up and running, and this anniversary is a testament to our people and businesses that have utilized this service to surpass the potential we identified when advocating for this service."
