Hainan Airlines announced on X that its new Chongqing–Haikou–Auckland route officially launched on September 13 at 9:50 p.m. Beijing time and is now open for booking.
According to AeroRoutes, the Chongqing–Haikou–Auckland route is scheduled to operate twice per week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Flights will depart from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport on Thursdays and Saturdays at 21:00 local time, connect through Haikou Meilan International Airport, and land in Auckland the following afternoon. This routing provides southwest China with its first direct one-stop access to New Zealand, offering greater convenience for both business and leisure travelers.
The service significantly alters Hainan Airlines’ previous schedule to Auckland. Prior to September 2025, the Haikou–Auckland service operated three times weekly as a nonstop. However, now two of those weekly frequencies originate in Chongqing before continuing via Haikou to Auckland. This change reflects Hainan Airlines’ strategy of leveraging Chongqing as a rising aviation hub while still maintaining Haikou’s role as a key stopover city.