Facilitating prosperity: The economic contribution of Air New Zealand, prepared by Sense Partners, estimated that Air New Zealand contributed $2.7 billion to the economy directly, including paying $1.4 billion in wages to more than 11,400 staff. The airline also spent $2.3 billion on goods and services from New Zealand suppliers.
The report posits that Air New Zealand is the second largest contributor to the economy in the country’s business landscape.
“We kicked off this research project last year to put numbers behind our purpose of connecting New Zealanders with each other and New Zealand with the world,” said Air New Zealand’s chief corporate affairs officer, Mat Bolland.
“As a remote nation, New Zealand relies on aviation more than almost any other economy to overcome distance to markets, so it is vital for us to understand Air New Zealand’s role in our economy.”
The report suggests that a large part of Air New Zealand’s value comes from the connections and access it provides New Zealanders to do business across large geographic areas, both domestically and internationally.
“The research was a reminder of the challenges New Zealand businesses face being so far away from key markets, with our closest major trading partner, Australia, more than 2,000 km away,” said Bolland.
“In addition – geographically – we are not that small a country, with our 5.1 million population spread over the same distance as from Denmark to Spain, spanning countries that are home to more than 180 million people.”
According to the report, through its movement of people and cargo, Air New Zealand supports 130,000 jobs – around 5.6 per cent of all jobs in New Zealand.
Air New Zealand returned to profit last financial year, after years of pandemic driven losses. The economic impact of the airline is expected to continue to grow.
