Thai Airways eyes March 2027 relaunch of Bangkok-Auckland flights

Dhaka: Thai Airways plans to resume nonstop flights between Bangkok and Auckland by March 2027, a year earlier than initially scheduled, according to local media reports.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas confirmed the revised timeline on August 21 during a visit to aircraft maker NZAero's hangar at Auckland's Ardmore Airport. The decision followed bilateral discussions between the Thai and New Zealand prime ministers.

The route had originally been planned to return in 2028. However, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reportedly told his New Zealand counterpart that preparations were being fast-tracked to target an early 2027 restart.

Ekniti described the move as an opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two countries through a code-sharing arrangement rather than direct competition, calling it a mutually beneficial step that would strengthen connectivity and commercial ties between Thailand and New Zealand.

The finalized schedule will depend on pending aircraft deliveries, which are needed to ensure Thai Airways has adequate long-haul capacity for the route.

Lavaron Sangsnit, Permanent Secretary of the Thai Ministry of Finance and Chairman of Thai Airways International PCL, has been assigned to oversee preparations in the meantime.

Officials have also begun discussions with Auckland Airport authorities to reserve landing and departure slots in advance so operations can begin as soon as the aircraft are available.

The plan also draws on political and airline-alliance connections. New Zealand's current prime minister, Christopher Luxon, previously served as chief executive of Air New Zealand before entering politics.

With both Thai Airways and Air New Zealand belonging to the Star Alliance network, Thai officials are pursuing a formal code-share deal aimed at improving connectivity across both carriers' networks rather than competing for market share.