Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ, NZE:AIR) plans to operate 8% more seats on flights to the US and Canada, compared with the previous year, including a 15% increase in premium seating, as well as an increase of 4,300 premium seats on Asia services, according to a Thursday release.

It will bring up to seven newly retrofitted 787 Dreamliners into service by the end of the year.

It will conduct 11 to 12 flights per week between December and March 2026 from Auckland to Los Angeles, adding almost 24,000 more seats than the same period last year, including an additional 6,800 premium seats. It will add 4,500 more seats between January 2026 and March 2026 for flights from Auckland to Houston, as well as 1,800 additional seats and 2,700 more premium seats for flights from Auckland to San Francisco, with the number of flights increasing to six in March 2026.

Flights from Auckland to Vancouver will see premium seating increase by 25%, including a 30% increase in premium economy and an 18% increase in business premier.

The number of flights from Auckland to Taipei will be expanded from three to four per week between December and February 2026, adding 11,800 seats.

Flights from Auckland to Bali will see a 49% increase in premium seats, flights from Auckland to Hong Kong will see a 28% rise in premium seats, and those from Auckland to Shanghai will see 35% more premium seats.