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In 2010, China had become New Zealand’s second largest trading partner and fourth largest tourism market, and the demand for business and travel between the two countries was growing rapidly; at the same time, China Southern Airlines began implementation of the “Oceania Strategy” (later known as the “Canton Road” strategy) leading to the opening of flight routes to New Zealand.
On April 9, 2011 China Southern Airlines officially launched the Guangzhou-Auckland route with an A330 landing at Auckland International Airport thus becoming the first airline in mainland China to operate a scheduled passenger route between China and New Zealand. On December 16, 2015, China Southern Airlines launched the Guangzhou-Christchurch route, the first route from mainland China to the South Island of New Zealand.
“One person may go faster, but a group of people can go further”, this is the strength of the team and the motto of China Southern Airlines Auckland office, established in January 2011 and responsible for the sales, marketing and administration while the airport office is responsible for the flight operations.
Currently we have 17 employees, of which more than 75% are local employees from New Zealand. In the 11 years and throughout Covid 19 China Southern Airlines has maintained the Guangzhou-Auckland passenger flights/passenger-free cargo flights and it has to date operated more than 11,200 flights, transported more than 2.24 million passengers and more than 75,000 tons of cargo.
Since its launch, China Southern Airlines has maintained the largest share of passenger capacity in the mainland China to New Zealand market.
Some particular highlights over the last ten years include in 2016 being the year with the most flights – 1,780 flights operated between China and New Zealand, carrying 344,000 passengers; in that year, China also became New Zealand’s second largest overseas passenger market; 2019 was the year with the largest capacity when we carried 369,000 passengers between China and New Zealand, seven times the number of our first year flying to New Zealand and on March 29, 2020, China Southern launched its first passenger free cargo flight, which became an important cargo channel connecting New Zealand and southern China during Covid-19. In the past two years, nearly 300 passenger free cargo flights have transported close to 10,000 tons of cargo.
Compared with other destinations New Zealand is a “small” market and operating well in a limited market is one of the challenges facing China Southern Airlines. In creating its own competitive advantage China Southern Airlines actively utilizes the strong route network of the Guangzhou hub and the 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free policies there to expand the source of passengers from all of mainland China, to New Zealand and New Zealand passengers to Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia and elsewhere.
China Southern actively cooperates with major local agents, travel service providers and media and participates in a range of cultural activities including “TEPAPA’s “Terracotta Warriors”, “Chinese language week”, “the Lantern festival” and “Round the Bays”, while sponsoring charity events such as “Ronald McDonald House Charities”. This provides us with an opportunity to engage with and support the wider community as well as increasing our branding and exposure. We maintain close cooperation with New Zealand government departments- Ministry of Foreign Affairs& Trade, Tourism NZ, Ministry of Transport and Immigration, local government authorities and Auckland and Christchurch Airports.
To conclude and in remembering eleven years ago we’d iike to quote Gu Feng, a flight attendant who participated in the inaugural flight of the Guangzhou-Auckland route who recalled the day and said: This is the highest profile inaugural flight ceremony I have ever participated in, the flight departed from Guangzhou seen off by the mayor and vice mayor of Guangzhou and welcomed by the Prime Minister of New Zealand on landing in Auckland. At Auckland Airport, she saw the professional ground service team, hospitable and warm New Zealanders and then the beautiful natural scenery of New Zealand.
She wished the friendship between the Chinese and New Zealanders will last forever and we at China Southern Airlines look forward to continuing playing our part in making her wish come true.