OREANDA-NEWS. Auckland Airport has welcomed the announcement that Singapore Airlines is to introduce an A380 aircraft on its daily service to Auckland during the peak New Zealand summer period. The first Singapore Airlines A380 flight will arrive in Auckland on 28 October 2014.

Charles Spillane, Auckland Airport's acting general manager of aeronautical commercial, says, “We are delighted by the airline's decision to use an A380 on this route as it provides an additional 55,000 seats during the peak summer period. We also estimate that it will contribute an additional USD 45 million in tourism spend to our economy.”

“In the past 12 months, Singapore Airlines has experienced very high demand on the Singapore to Auckland route. We welcome the introduction of the A380 as it ensures the demand for this service is not constrained by available seat capacity.”

“Singapore is a critical hub airport, providing New Zealand with access to South East Asia and key emerging markets such as India and Indonesia. This additional capacity will help to support the impressive growth we have already seen from these markets.”

“In particular, we have seen fantastic growth in holiday arrivals from both Singapore and India. Holiday arrivals from Singapore increased by 23 per cent in the past 12 months and holiday arrivals from India for the same period increased by 15 per cent.”

“In addition, the number of New Zealanders departing for short-term travel to South East Asia increased by 19 per cent over the past year. This latest increase in seat capacity from Singapore Airlines will certainly help to further stimulate this outbound growth,” concludes Mr Spillane.

Edwin Chiang, General Manager Singapore Airlines New Zealand, says, "We are pleased to offer an A380 service to Auckland. Customers can look forward to a whole new level of comfort across all cabin classes and enjoy the connectivity this daily direct service to Singapore provides to our global network. This is a significant milestone in our history of serving the New Zealand market and we look forward to showcasing the distinct service features we offer on the A380."

Tourism New Zealand's Director of Trade, PR and Major Events, Justin Watson, also welcomes the announcement.

"Singapore itself is an important and growing visitor market for New Zealand, but is also vital hub for Asia. This announcement on the back of the approved alliance with Air New Zealand is a real boost for our new investments in emerging markets, with a lot more capacity and great connections from multiple cities right across Asia," says Mr Watson.