Metal legends Iron Maiden are returning to New Zealand in May 2016, the band has announced.
Concert dates and venues are yet to be detailed, but their performance for Kiwi fans will be part of a tour expected to reach 35 countries.
The 'Number of the Beast' rockers will arrive in their own 747-400 jumbo jet, a new Ed Force One.
Vocalist Bruce Dickinson is currently in training for his licence to fly the massive four-engine jet, which is almost twice the size and over three times the weight of the Boeing 757 used on previous tours in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Scroll down to see an infographic comparing the Iron Maiden aircraft.
The new Ed Force One will take the band, crew and more than 12 tons of equipment more than 88,500km around the planet, with concerts in six continents on The Book of Souls World Tour 2016.
"When the opportunity arose from my friends at Air Atlanta Icelandic to lease a 747 for The Book of Souls World Tour, of course we jumped at the chance. Who wouldn't?" says Dickinson.
"The greatest benefit of travelling in a 747 is that because of its colossal size and freight capacity we can carry our stage production and all our stage equipment and desks in the cargo hold without having to make any of the immense structural modifications needed to do this on the previous 757, the extent of which fans will have noted on the Flight 666 DVD.
"All we will need to do is 'paint' it and move a few seats around, with the added advantage that there is much more room for band and crew. Our crew can almost get a row of seats each to catch up on sleep on the flights!"
Iron Maiden last played in New Zealand in 2009 at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium – their first show here in 17 years.
The 'Wasted Years' rockers have been making music for more than 30 years. With their 16th studio album due for release next month, the band isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
"We're all really excited at the thought of bringing our brand new tour to fans who have never seen us play live before, and of course re-visiting all our old friends again too. You can rest assured we are all working hard to put together a spectacular show for our fans," says Dickinson.
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