Air New Zealand's next big call: Boeing or Airbus?

Air NZ is getting closer to making the big call on its next long-haul model of plane. Airbus and Boeing are likely to tender for the deal next year. CE Christopher Luxon said the airline had already taken the first step towards replacing its 777-200 fleet, requesting information from the planemakers. "We're right in the middle of that process right now," he said. "There's a number of candidate aircraft on the Airbus side — the A350 is an aircraft of interest, likewise the [Boeing] 787-10s and even the 777Xs are really things we want to understand." The airline's route planners were still working on where they would like the planes to fly, which will determine the aircraft type and its configuration. Non-stop flights to cities such as New York or Sao Paulo are on the airline's radar. "A big part of this conversation is working out where do you want to go to over the next 10 to 15 years and to look at it connecting Australians through New Zealand to the East Coast of North and South America." The airline also was investigating connecting Asia, through Auckland, to South America.<br/>