Auckland Airport has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport to further strengthen existing close ties between New Zealand and India through the sharing of best practices in airport operations, management, and customer experience.
Auckland Airport CEO Carrie Hurihanganui highlighted significant opportunities to enhance connectivity, tourism, and freight between New Zealand and India. She stated that both Auckland and Delhi Airports would collaborate to support the goal of establishing non-stop flights between Delhi and Auckland.
Travel between India and New Zealand has grown 78 per cent since 2015, with 351,000 people travelling in 2024. Of these, 110,000 travelled between Delhi and Auckland. In 2024, 102,000 New Zealanders visited India, while 83,000 Indians visited New Zealand.
Hurihanganui noted that the Indian market offers significant growth opportunities, with Tourism New Zealand data revealing that around 18 million people are actively considering a visit to New Zealand, and 57 per cent of them identify it as their top destination choice.
Delhi Airport is directly connected to 71 international cities, including London, Dubai, Singapore, New York, Toronto, and Sydney.
Hurihanganui added: “While there are no non-stop flights at this time, we know there is strong and growing demand for people wanting to travel between India and New Zealand, and this partnership will work to grow that demand even more.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of Delhi International Airport, said: “This partnership promises to drive long-term growth and strengthen the ties between our two great nations. We look forward to working closely with Auckland Airport to help make non-stop flights a reality and to share best practices in airport operations and customer experience.”
