Air New Zealand has taken delivery of a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring an updated cabin layout and has begun rolling out in‑flight WiFi across its international fleet.
This Dreamliner is the airline’s 10th and introduces increased premium capacity. Business Premier seating has been expanded to 27 seats (up from 18), while Premium Economy now offers 33 seats (previously 21). Air New Zealand plans to receive a total of four aircraft with this revised configuration.
“Since we introduced the Dreamliner, we have seen strong customer demand for our award‑winning Business Premier and Premium Economy cabins and the products and service that come with these,” said Mike Tod, chief marketing and customer officer at Air New Zealand. The aircraft entered service on October 15.
In parallel, the airline has started installing in‑flight WiFi on its international Boeing 777‑300 fleet. A trial is currently underway on a single 777‑300, with additional aircraft scheduled to be upgraded over the coming months.
“We’re launching in‑flight WiFi as a trial initially in order to gather customer feedback and ensure it meets the needs of our customers before we roll it out across our international jet fleet,” said Avi Golan, chief digital officer at Air New Zealand.
The WiFi installation for the 777‑300s is expected to be completed by June 2018, and the 777‑200 fleet is planned to receive the service the following April.