Air New Zealand conducted an unusual panoramic flight (flight number NZ8477) over the South Island of its home country on August 25, 2024.
Onboard were 50 children suffering from a range of medical conditions which were able to enjoy the views of some of New Zealand’s most magnificent landscapes.
This charter flight was organized by the airline in partnership with Koru Care, a charity staffed by volunteers that aims to provide memorable experiences to children in medical care.
The flight was performed by one of Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9, which took off from Christchurch (CHC), then flew southwards over the central parts of the South Island. Upon reaching Queenstown, the plane turned east and then north to fly along the East Coast. It finally landed back at Christchurch some 1.5 hours after its departure.
The children, who enjoyed VIP treatment throughout the experience and were welcomed onboard by Air New Zealand’s CEO, Greg Moran, were also invited to a pre-flight party at Christchurch Airport.
The theme of the party, ‘Around the World in a Day’, offered a glimpse, through food and activities, of several of Air New Zealand’s destinations, such as New York, Tokyo, Fiji and Sydney. Each of them also received a certificate revealing that a star in the sky had been officially named after them.
Air New Zealand highlighted, in its press release, that it would offset the carbon emissions from this flight through carbon credits and a donation to a biodiversity promotion program.
These special flights have been conducted by Air New Zealand, in cooperation with Koru Care, for over 40 years.
Air New Zealand operates 14 Boeing 787-9, most of the time on international, long-haul routes out of Auckland (AKL), at the northern tip of the country’s North Island, which also made this aircraft overflying of parts of the South Island a rather rare sight.