Auckland to Manila — direct
13th July 2010 by Andrew Matheson, Manila | 3 Comments
Despite growing links between the Philippines and New Zealand, there aren’t any direct air services between the two countries. There are plenty of good options for easy, one-stop travel, but for many people having to change planes — even when staying on the same airline — is a mental block. And of course it makes the journey longer.
I have no doubt that the increasingly strong people-to-people links between the two countries will support direct air services in the future. It’s just a question of when.
I’ve been discussing this again with someone who firmly believes that a direct service between Manila and Auckland is commercially viable right now. And he has plenty of data to support that view.
Matthew Findlay of Auckland International Airport Ltd was in Manila again this week to talk to airlines and encourage development of direct air links. Matthew is the airport’s route development manager, and we at the embassy have been working closely with him on his Manila mission.
It’s Matthew’s business to drum up trade for Auckland airport, New Zealand’s major international gateway, but he knows that any route has to make money for the operator. In an address on Monday to the Philippines New Zealand Business Council Matthew said that with 40,000 journeys per year already on the Auckland-Manila route, it could support three services per week. And the experience from other routes is that direct services stimulate growth in that market — for instance by nearly 80% in the case of Auckland-Vancouver, and 200% for Auckland-Shanghai.
The growing number of Filipino New Zealanders, or Piwis, is really going to help boost demand for direct air links. John Macilree has analysed visitor arrival data for New Zealand, and found a dramatic change in the reasons for people travelling to our distant country.
His analysis clearly shows one bright light in the gloomy visitor figures. The bad news is that holiday visitor numbers aren’t growing, and are subject to a cyclical pattern. There has been a collapse in business visitor numbers since 2007. But the good news is strong growth in travellers coming to visit friends and relatives, what’s called VFR traffic in the jargon, which is probably connected with related long-term migration.
With the Philippines New Zealand’s fourth-most important source of skilled migrants, and sixth-most important source of new residents, this VFR trade is already a significant driver of Filipino visitors to New Zealand. It will be a strong stimulus for continued increase in the numbers of passengers travelling between the Philippines and New Zealand.
I just hope that soon they will be winging their way south on direct flights.
Hello Ambassador – great summary. I enjoyed the meeting and look forward to giving a follow-up presentation in due course. Today, before departing, I met with local reps of a foriegn airline operating to New Zealand. Hopefully some work we intend to do with them in the Philippine market will assist in growing the holiday segment again – proving we can stimulate this market.
I came across your website and found here many interesting posts. I am sure that i wil come back here soon !
Can’t we hurry this up
I have lived in manila for 7 years and now returning once every couple of months. Come on Air NZ don’t you want to make some money !!