Air New Zealand plans London return via Los Angeles by summer 2026

The airline's return to London comes after selling its valuable Heathrow slots to United Airlines for $27 million in mid-2020. Although they applied for slots at both Heathrow and Gatwick this time, only Gatwick granted them access due to capacity constraints at London's main airport.

Regarding potential routes, Foran expressed a preference for stopping over in Los Angeles rather than considering other options like New York JFK Airport. He said, “our preference as I said would probably be to go through LA when we decide to do it.”

Aircraft availability remains a significant concern for Air New Zealand. The company is dealing with production delays from Boeing and ongoing issues with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. Foran noted that "Boeing are producing around about 6x 787s a month at the moment," but they need increased production rates.

The impact of these engine issues is substantial, having already led to the cancellation of their Auckland-Chicago route earlier this year. Foran anticipates these challenges will persist for "at least probably two to three years."

In addition to these developments, during a visit to Toulouse, France, Foran signed an agreement with Airbus for acquiring "two or three" Airbus A321s.