Air New Zealand's route map has quietly shrunk over the past decade. The Auckland-based carrier has axed eight long-haul routes since the mid-2010s, according to schedule data from aviation analysts Cirium, and several of them are unlikely to return. If you're planning a trip between New Zealand and the wider world, it's worth knowing which cities no longer have a direct option on the national airline.
The biggest name on the list is London Heathrow. For years, Air New Zealand flew to London via Los Angeles, even holding fifth-freedom rights that let Californians book the LA-to-London leg outright. Earlier still, it routed via Hong Kong, making it the only airline to effectively circle the globe. The Heathrow service ended in 2020, with New York's JFK taking over as the airline's flagship long-haul route.
COVID-19 did most of the damage. Three routes disappeared around 2020 and never came back: Buenos Aires Ezeiza — the airline's only South American destination and a genuine alternative to LATAM for Auckland travellers heading that way — plus a seasonal charter service to Osaka Kansai, which had already lost its scheduled status back in 2013.
Two more cuts are more recent and more frustrating for travellers. Chicago O'Hare, launched as the airline's second ultra-long-haul US service alongside LA, San Francisco, Houston and Honolulu, was dropped in 2024. Seoul Incheon followed in 2025. Both cancellations stem from the same underlying problem: ongoing supply-chain and maintenance issues with Air New Zealand's 787-9 fleet, which has left it short of aircraft. Chicago is widely expected to return, but no date has been confirmed, and Korean Air is now the sole carrier linking South Korea and Auckland.
The China and Japan stories are different. Beijing Capital flights launched in 2008 to coincide with the Olympic Games, but Air China now covers the Beijing-Auckland route with multiple weekly flights. Tokyo Haneda was a short experiment — just one year of flying between 2017 and 2018 — before Air New Zealand consolidated its Tokyo service at Narita. There's some good news for Japan-bound travellers: the airline resumes nonstop Narita-Christchurch flights this November, adding a South Island gateway alongside Auckland.
What does this mean if you're booking? Air New Zealand still runs a solid trans-Pacific network — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Honolulu, New York, plus Singapore and Tokyo Narita — but for Buenos Aires, Seoul, Chicago or London you'll need a codeshare, a connecting carrier, or a different airline entirely. And if the 787 troubles drag on, check your route's status before locking in plans, as the airline has shown it will cut rather than limp through aircraft shortages. For the affected cities, competitors like Korean Air, Air China and LATAM now hold the keys.
