China Southern Airlines Returns To Christchurch Airport

The South Island of New Zealand is again connected to mainland China, resuming China Southern’s direct seasonal service between Guangzhou and Christchurch. Arriving on November 10th, with much-anticipated fanfare, the carrier operated the nonstop route to schedule the 12-hour continuous service. China Southern first launched a service to Christchurch in 2015, three times a week; this quickly grew to a daily service; however, it was paused in February 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Passengers debarking on the first flight were treated to a range of performances influenced by Chinese and Maori culture, with a buzz of activity around the airport celebrating the resumption of flights to China. The airline will offer the service between November 10th and February 25th three times a week with its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Flights will operate from Guangzhou on Fridays, Sundays, and Wednesdays.

CZ617 / CZ618

While pre-pandemic, Christchurch was directly connected to mainland China year-round, locals and tourists must now settle for a seasonal service. The first flight back to Christchurch departed from China Southern’s hub at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) as CZ617 on November 10th at 01:11, 21 minutes behind its scheduled departure time of 00:50. The flight time south to Christchurch was quick, at ten hours and 47 minutes, landing into Christchurch International Airport (CHC) at 16:58, 22 minutes ahead of it’s planned arrival time of 17:20.

CZ618 operated the return service, departing Christchurch at 22:52, a fraction behind the scheduled departure time of 22:30. The flight time of 11 hours and 24 minutes meant the flight landed back to Guangzhou at 05:16, just ahead of schedule (05:30). The aircraft deployed on the service was a five-year-old 787-9 registered B-1242 (serial number 63978), having first joined the carrier back in April 2018.

A busy summer in Christchurch

The South Island’s busiest airport, Christchurch International, is gearing up for a stunning southern summer schedule, with both China Southern and Cathay Pacific resuming operations to the garden city. Singapore Airlines is boosting its daily service to ten weekly over Christmas, alongside a new route with United Airlines, direct to the Golden Gate (San Francisco).

Read more: Increasing Demand Leads To More Long Haul Flights From Christchurch This Summer.

Photo: Christchurch Airport

CZ will be the third long-haul carrier back at Christchurch this summer, complementing Emirates and Singapore Airlines year-round service. From December 1st, United Airlines will join the pack, operating a thrice-weekly service to San Francisco. This service alone is estimated to bring NZ $44 million ($26 million) in visitor spending to New Zealand’s economy.

Last but not least, Cathay Pacific will reconnect Christchurch with Hong Kong, effective December 15th, another carrier that paused its HKG-CHC connection over the pandemic.

Have you flown long-haul into Christchurch Airport before? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: Flightradar24