Air New Zealand has committed to growing its regional fleet by placing an order for up to four ATR 72-600 turboprops. The deal that it has signed with the Franco-Italian manufacturer has seen it place two firm orders for the type, with options for another pair. Elsewhere, the carrier's short-haul jet fleet is also set to see growth.

Signed, sealed, not yet delivered

In the grand scheme of things, an order of this size might not usually raise eyebrows. However, this particular deal represents a milestone for Air New Zealand. This is because, as the manufacturer announced in a statement published this morning, the arrival of the planes will see the Kiwi flag carrier become the world's fourth-largest operator. ATR's SVP of Commercial, Alexis Vidal, stated that:

"ATR’s relationship with Air New Zealand is invaluable. Over the years, we have grown, innovated, and pushed the boundaries of regional air transport together. The reason is that we make the perfect match: to thrive in New Zealand, an aircraft needs to be versatile, efficient, and therefore low-emission."

Photo: brackish_nz/Shutterstock

It will be around a year before the deliveries commence, as Air New Zealand will receive the first aircraft in the second half of 2024, with the second following in early 2025. Given the type's limited range and the distance between New Zealand and ATR's French HQ, the delivery flights will surely be interesting ones.

A growing sub-fleet

As ATR explains, these aircraft will be the 30th and 31st ATR 72-600 planes to join Air New Zealand's fleet. The 29 examples of the type that the Kiwi flag carrier already has on its books are relatively young, with data from ch-aviation.com showing that their average age is just 6.5 years old, compared to a fleet-wide mean figure of 9.4 years. Commenting on the order, Air New Zealand's Baden Smith stated:

Photo: inProgressImaging/Shutterstock

According to a separate statement released today by Air New Zealand, the carrier's ATR 72-600 aircraft "fly customers to regional destinations like Tauranga and Nelson," and have the capacity to seat 68 passengers. The presence of the new ones will provide a welcome boost, offering more than 5,700 extra seats a week.

The A321neo fleet will also be boosted

Air New Zealand also took the opportunity today to announce that another pair of Airbus A321neo aircraft will be joining its short-haul jet fleet in the near future. These 214-seat twinjets will serve international routes on the Tasman and Pacific Island corridors, with their presence adding more than 9,000 extra seats per week.

Air New Zealand plans to get this extra pair of Airbus A321neo aircraft within the next year, and they will serve the carrier from new over a 12-year lease period. All in all, the additions of the two ATR 72-600 and Airbus A321neo aircraft will boost Air New Zealand's capacity by an impressive 768,000 seats per year.

Sources: Air New Zealand, ATR, ch-aviation.com