Auckland Airport said visitor numbers from Argentina shot up 35% in the three months from December last year. <\/p>\n
And it said air cargo exports to Argentina were worth $7.3 million since the service started, up 127% on the same time a year earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe extra two flights each week will support more trade opportunities for exporters while making travel between the three markets easier,\u201d Auckland Airport\u2019s chief customer officer Scott Tasker said.<\/p>\n
\u201cKiwi travellers are also making the most of the direct link with 22% more travelling to Argentina now the direct flight connection is available.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flight MU745 from Shanghai to Auckland to Buenos Aires takes 26 hours, and the return journey, known as MU746, takes 29 hours.<\/p>\n
In Auckland, everybody disembarks and the aircraft gets cleaned and refuelled. <\/p>\n
Some passengers join or leave in New Zealand but others stay for the entire journey.<\/p>\n
Since last November, Chinese nationals have been able to transit through on a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) without having to apply for a separate transit visa.<\/p>\n
The airport said for the first five months of the service, more than 8000 Chinese travellers flew through Auckland Airport to or from Buenos Aires. <\/p>\n
The airport said growth between Auckland and mainland China was expected to continue, with seat capacity forecast to increase 8% year-on-year to the end of October 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cIncreased seat capacity on the Auckland-China routes is a key driver for visitor and \u2018visiting friends and family\u2019 markets, both of which are vital to growing our tourism economy,\u201d Tasker said.<\/p>\n
The China Eastern Airlines flight when it landed in Auckland during the first flight MU745 last summer. Photo \/ Auckland Airport<\/p>\n
There is one other direct air link between New Zealand and South America, with Latam Airlines flying between Auckland and Santiago in Chile on a Boeing 787. <\/p>\n
That service started a month before MU745, and previously Auckland was a Latam stopover to Chile on the way from Sydney. <\/p>\n
Exports through Auckland Airport to markets via Buenos Aires and Santiago grew 120% year-on-year to 105 tonnes, the airport said.<\/p>\n
It said the value of those exports surged 22% year-on-year to $28.6m.<\/p>\n
According to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, total New Zealand exports to Argentina in 2024 were worth $60.95m.<\/p>\n
China Eastern uses a Boeing 777-300ER (extended range) widebody on the route.<\/p>\n
Among commercial aircraft currently in production, only the Airbus A350-1000 rivals the 777-300ER in size.<\/p>\n