Air New Zealand's latest ATR72-600 touches down after 15 day flight from France

The delivery flight stopped in seven countries on the way.
The delivery flight stopped in seven countries on the way. Photo credit: Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand's latest ATR72-600 turboprop plane has arrived in Aotearoa just in time for Christmas.

The 15 day journey included stops in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia, before ZK-MZF landed at Auckland Airport on Wednesday afternoon. 

Its flights covered a distance of 20,414km.

The ATR flew 20,414km.
The ATR flew 20,414km. Photo credit: Flight Path Finder

The aircraft, which can seat 68 passengers, will be used to service regional routes and travel to the likes of New Plymouth, Tauranga and Nelson.

It wasn't on the ground in Auckland for long, departing for Christchurch shortly after arriving in the country, where it's going through the process of getting ready for service.

Air NZ's Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan says he's excited to be adding the the latest ATR72-600 to the airline's domestic fleet.

The ATR being painted in iconic Air NZ livery.
The ATR being painted in iconic Air NZ livery. Photo credit: Air New Zealand

"It won't be sitting on the tarmac for too long before taking off for its first flight which will likely be on December 23, just in time to help get our customers to where they need to be this Christmas," Morgan said.

ATR is a Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer based at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport.

ZK-MZF is the last of Air NZ's fleet of 29 to arrive, with the first having touched down back in 2012. The aircraft is also the 1600th ATR ever produced by its manufacturers.

Ready to go.
Ready to go. Photo credit: Air New Zealand

Air NZ is now the owner of the third largest fleet of ATR72-600s in the world.

ATRs are one of the most common types of planes used domestically, having flown an estimated 33.5 million passengers on over 636,000 flights around New Zealand, according to the airline.