Air New Zealand considers launching direct flights to India.
According to Nikhil Ravishankar, CEO of Air New Zealand, the airline is evaluating the feasibility of direct flights to Indian cities and the recent free trade agreement between New Zealand and India offers further potential for people-to-people contact.
In October 2025, Ravishankar, who was born in Bengaluru, India, assumed leadership of Air New Zealand. When he was about 14 years old, his parents relocated to New Zealand.
Ravishankar told PTI, “We are considering how to better connect the two countries. We are working closely with Singapore Airlines and Air India around servicing and connecting with India.”
Air New Zealand and Air India have a codeshare arrangement, according to Ravishankar, who spoke with PTI on the fringes of the recently finished annual general meeting of the international airline association IATA in the city.
An airline can often book its passengers on its partner carrier on a single ticket through a codeshare relationship.
In response to a question about the possibility of direct flight connectivity between New Zealand and India, Ravishankar said that it is. He stated, “Work is underway to assess the viability of those direct routes.”
India and New Zealand recently signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
According to Ravishankar, the FTA is really exciting for both nations in terms of enhancing trade and interpersonal relationships.
The Indian diaspora is the third largest ethnic group in New Zealand, and both nations share a passion for cricket. It’s interesting to note that Campbell Wilson, the departing CEO and MD of Air India, is a native of New Zealand.
There are about 115 planes and turboprops in Air New Zealand’s fleet. Wide-body Boeing 777s and 787s are available.
According to Ravishankar, the New Zealand carrier also collaborates with Indian firms for a variety of services, such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and IBS Software.
Star Alliance is a group of airlines that includes Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, and Air India.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Air India and Air New Zealand was signed in March of last year, and it involves a new codeshare arrangement on 16 flights connecting India, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.
In a March 2025 release announcing the Memorandum of Understanding, Air India stated that passengers would now be able to travel from the Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai and connect at Sydney, Melbourne, or Singapore onto Air New Zealand-operated flights to Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Queenstown.
According to the announcement, both airlines would investigate starting a direct service between India and New Zealand by the end of 2028 under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, provided that new aircraft are delivered and approved by the appropriate government regulators.
With more capacity and better connectivity via Singapore, Air New Zealand said last month that it was bolstering ties between India and New Zealand.
Ravishankar served as Air New Zealand’s Chief Digital Officer before taking over as CEO.
Born in Bengaluru, Ravishankar told PTI that his parents relocated to New Zealand when he was about 14 years old.
Nikhil has worked with Air New Zealand for about five years, during which time he has developed a thorough understanding of the airline and the aviation industry. In July of last year, Air New Zealand released a statement saying, “He has also led significant advancements in the airline’s technology backbone, loyalty program, and customer proposition.”
