Air New Zealand revealed the first of its 14 Dreamliners to eventually feature the retrofit at a special preview event on Monday in Auckland, where the refreshed plane is undergoing final testing before its inaugural flight to Brisbane 19 May 2025.
Following its maiden journey on the same day, the jet will make its long-haul debut on a flight from Auckland to San Francisco.
Other routes to feature the retrofitted aircraft, seven of which are due for completion in 2025, are Auckland-Rarotonga (Cook Islands) and Auckland-Vancouver (Canada), with more routes to be rolled out after that.
With the second of the carrier’s retrofitted 787s underway in Singapore, Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran hailed the launch as a truly special moment for the future of the airline, which celebrates its 85th anniversary
This aircraft spent 184 days in Singapore being retrofitted, the result of several years of extensive research, innovation, and design by our team to deliver a world-class onboard experience,” he said.
“This is the first ever full nose-to-tail retrofit of a 787-9 Dreamliner and marks the introduction of our first new onboard product in over 15 years.
“We’ve completely reimagined the experience of flying with Air New Zealand, incorporating elegant design elements, innovative Kiwi touches, and features informed by feedback from thousands of customers.”
Among those features are new seating designs, cutting-edge inflight entertainment systems featuring larger 4K HD screens with Bluetooth pairing, and smart storage solutions.