Air New Zealand has said it is “exploring options” to resume long-haul flights to London.

The national carrier is believed to have secured slots at Gatwick Airport for daily service starting in July 2025 after Heathrow rejected a bid for slots.

According to data from Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), the airline unsuccessfully applied for 420 slots at Heathrow but was awarded 236 at Gatwick over the 2025 summer, report ch-aviation.

Until early 2020, Air New Zealand operated a fifth freedom flight – a flight operated by an airline between two countries that aren’t its home base – to London Heathrow from Los Angeles.

The airline announced it was dropping its route to London after four decades of flying in October 2019, with its Heathrow slots sold for around $27million (£21.4m).

If the London to Auckland flight path is approved, it would be one of the longest flights in the world at 11,400 miles – including a stop to refuel, as the airline does not currently have ultra-long-haul aircraft in its fleet.

A spokesperson for the airline told The New Zealand Herald that Air New Zealand is “constantly reviewing our network, and we actively listen to the feedback we get from New Zealanders as to where they would love to fly”.

They added that it is “not uncommon” for airlines to apply for new airport slots and that London is “one of those destinations New Zealand has a very special connection to, and we continue to explore options”.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent, said: “Air New Zealand actually started flying from Gatwick to Auckland in 1982. Since then, rather a lot has changed in intercontinental aviation. In particular, the airlines of the Gulf and South East Asia have taken much of the market between the UK and Australasia.

“While I hugely enjoyed flying on Air New Zealand between London and Los Angeles, and on to Auckland, I am not sure there is a gap in the market for daily links to be revived. The one trick that could prove me wrong: if Air New Zealand launched a link with Honolulu as the refuelling point. The state of Hawaii could surely use a nonstop link from the UK.”

The Independent has contacted Air New Zealand for comment.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast

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