Hong Kong, March 1 -- Air Canada to serve Auckland, but no worries to Air New Zealand - they're already planning a JV.
Air Canada is filling out its Pacific network, adding Auckland to existing services to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Air New Zealand is not concerned about increased competition on its core North American market since Air Canada's announcement includes a Memorandum of Understanding for a revenue-sharing joint venture (JV) with the Auckland-headquartered carrier.
In the last decade, Air NZ has transformed its long-haul network by converting competitors into JV partners. Almost all of Air NZ's long-haul capacity is flown under a JV or is in a market without a direct competitor.
Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon down...