Air New Zealand Enters New Era Of AI Adoption With OpenAI In A New Zealand First
The national carrier is part of a group of early OpenAI customers in Asia Pacific that will collaborate with the AI leader at the forefront of enterprise AI adoption.
As part of the collaboration, Air New Zealand will gain direct access to OpenAI technologies to develop and apply use cases, and equip its people across corporate roles with secure, enterprise-grade AI tools.
Early areas of exploration include improving customer self-service experiences and enabling safe, responsible integrated planning across airline maintenance and operations. Air New Zealand is also looking into how data-driven insights can help employees make more informed operational decisions.
The agreement gives Companion AI – Air New Zealand's deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise – to all 3,500 corporate team members across the airline. Additionally, Air New Zealand will also invest in developing innovative new solutions using OpenAI APIs to enhance both customer and employee experiences with Generative AI.
Implementation of OpenAI's technology is already underway, driving smarter, faster decisions and creating lasting value for the Air New Zealand team and its customers.
Air New Zealand Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar says the collaboration marks a major milestone in the airline's digital journey.
'We see AI as an opportunity for our team at Air New Zealand and a way to improve experiences for our customers. It helps us solve problems faster, serve our customers better, and reimagine how work gets done. By working directly with OpenAI, we not only access leading-edge technology but we also shape how it's used in the real world.
'This collaboration represents more than just access to new tools – it's a commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation and giving our people the best technology to thrive. We're excited to see how AI will transform the way we work.'
'Air New Zealand is taking meaningful steps to bring AI across key parts of its business using OpenAI's technology. We have been particularly impressed with how quickly they have built over 1,500 Custom GPTs to introduce efficiencies to internal workflows.Their focus on innovation and responsibility shows how the aviation sector can adopt advanced tools in practical ways that deliver value for both employees and customers', Oliver Jay, Managing Director of International at OpenAI, added.
A Custom GPT in ChatGPT allows anyone – developers, teams, or enterprises – to create tailored AI assistants using GPT models. It enables users to define the AI's personality, tone, and specialised knowledge base, and integrate proprietary data or workflows. This makes it possible to build AI solutions for specific industries, company needs, or creative applications without requiring advanced coding expertise.
Throughout this journey, Air New Zealand remains deeply committed to the responsible and ethical use of AI, ensuring that innovation is aligned with strong governance, transparency, and care for customers and employees.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
11 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Government must step up to save vital regional air routes
This follows its withdrawal of its Wellington to Taupō and Wellington to Westport routes last year. Loss of regional air routes rips out lifelines for our communities – literally, in the case of Blenheim to Christchurch. This is a critical healthcare link for Marlborough people needing specialist treatment such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and day surgery in Christchurch. As of September 28, that's gone and they face an about four-hour drive, one way. Regional air services are the backbone of connectivity for New Zealand, not just healthcare and holidaymakers but business, education, freight and emergency response capability. The Kaikōura earthquake and Cyclone Gabrielle showed us just how vital these regional air routes and carriers are in times of crisis, delivering vital supplies and medical care to cut-off communities. With extreme weather events now part of life, they are becoming even more important. Yet our regional carriers that serve smaller centres, supplementing Air New Zealand's domestic network, are struggling. They face a growing burden of compliance costs across a range of government agencies that intersect with the industry. This also includes other government charges such as ACC levies and airport landing fees. Alongside the CAA's hikes, government air traffic control agency Airways New Zealand this week set a 6% average annual price increase. These hikes amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for regional carriers, on top of fee increases from airports and growing operational and maintenance costs. The assumption is that operators can pass the cost on to the passenger, but there comes a point where that's not feasible. This leads to route cuts, aircraft sales and staff losses and once gone, these are very difficult to bring back. The Government says it wants to partner with the industry to 'build an aviation sector that continues to be a pillar of New Zealand's economy and a lifeline for our communities'. Its goal is to transition the CAA into a 100% industry-funded regulatory body (it is already 90% industry-funded) and rely on market forces to lift the sector and support regional communities. This is wrong. As with Crown funding for critical infrastructure such as rail and roading, the Government plays a role in supporting access to safe and secure air services domestically and internationally. This is in the wider public interest and good for New Zealand. There are at least 30 countries around the world that support regional airlines in different ways. In Australia, the Government has made a strong commitment to support access to safe and secure regional air services with a package of measures. This includes access to concessional loans, something that has been floated here and is part of a possible solution. Aviation services are essential to our regional communities and New Zealanders deserve access to them now and into the future. If the Government really wants to support regional connectivity and deliver its economic growth plan, it urgently needs to lend a helping hand to our regional carriers so they can keep these routes in the air.
Scoop
18 hours ago
- Scoop
Ruapehu Mayor Champions Chateau With Air New Zealand CEO
Press Release – Ruapehu District Council Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton had the opportunity to discuss the significance of central North Island tourism and the future of the Chateau Tongariro Hotel with Air New Zealand Chief Executive Greg Foran during this week's Mayoral Forum in Auckland. Mayor Kirton said Mr Foran discussed the critical role domestic tourism plays in Air New Zealand's business and how destinations like Ruapehu are key to attracting both domestic and international visitors into the region. 'We also talked about the future of the Chateau with Greg commenting on its ability to act as a drawcard for visitors. Greg clearly understood the value of the Chateau, not just as a building, but as a symbol of our region's appeal with its restoration having wide-ranging benefits for tourism, employment, and the wider economy,' he said. Mayor Kirton reiterated his call for public support of Council's Parliamentary Petition urging Government to help secure a pathway for restoring the Chateau. 'With the right support, the Chateau can once again be a beacon for the region and a driver of economic prosperity,' he said. 'We're doing everything we can to make that happen and community backing is crucial. If you haven't signed the petition, please do so and encourage your friends and whanau to do so also.'
Newsroom
a day ago
- Newsroom
Fuelling New Zealand's aviation future
Comment: When I board my flight from Wellington to Sydney, I'm not just thinking about the meetings ahead. As CEO of a transport energy company, I'm acutely aware that the fuel powering that aircraft represents one of our greatest decarbonisation challenges. New Zealand is a geographically remote island, which means air travel is vital to our connection with the rest of the world. Tourism also makes up an essential part of our economy. The overwhelming majority of visitors get on a plane to visit and air transport enables the export of some of our most valuable products to customers across the globe every day. While critical, its contribution to carbon emissions is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Aviation accounts for around 2-3 percent of global carbon emissions, but unlike road transport where we're seeing the adoption of electric vehicles, the technology pathway for low-carbon aviation is far more challenging. There is no battery technology currently on the horizon to power long-haul international flights. For the foreseeable future, if we want to keep flying, we need liquid fuels. Beyond changes such as reducing flights or deploying more efficient aircraft, airlines are looking to alternative jet fuel options, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), as the most viable solution currently available for a lower-carbon emission future in air travel. SAF is an industry term used for a form of alternative jet fuel made using feedstocks such as forestry residues, municipal waste, or used cooking oils with the goal of reducing the lifecycle carbon footprint of jet fuel. SAF is most typically used by international airlines when blended with conventional jet fuel to form part of the overall fuel mix and is considered as a 'drop‑in' fuel, meaning it can be used in an existing aircraft fleet. SAF was first used in New Zealand in September 2022, when Z, in partnership with Air New Zealand and Neste, imported 1.2 million litres – enough fuel to power approximately 400 return flights between Wellington and Auckland. This remains the largest SAF shipment New Zealand has made to date. The aviation sector globally is showing growing interest in SAF. Some airlines have set carbon emission reduction targets, passengers are increasingly conscious of their carbon footprints, and international regulations are generally evolving towards tighter environmental standards. Yet today, SAF represents less than 1 percent of total aviation fuel use worldwide, primarily due to limited supply and high costs. One of the biggest challenges for SAF production is getting enough of the right feedstock (raw material from which fuels are produced). There are several different feedstocks that are commonly used, such as tallow and vegetable oils. Other feedstocks such as woody biomass or hydrogen can technically be used, however these can be harder or more costly to manufacture. The additional layer of complexity with any feedstock is that many have alternative uses in the energy transition, so the best use case for each feedstock needs to be taken into consideration as countries and industries navigate the energy transition. For me it isn't a question of if we need SAF in New Zealand, but how we will be able to successfully establish its supply for the domestic and Trans-Tasman markets when international demand for the product is increasing. At Z, we've spent considerable time over the past few years working with industry partners across Aotearoa to understand what it would take. Our conclusion is clear: we need supportive policy settings to give industry the confidence to invest, combined with strategic partnerships and economies of scale that can deliver SAF reliably and in the most cost-effective way to our airline customers. The global policy race is already underway All of New Zealand's top 10 trading partners now either have SAF-supportive policies in place or have shown support for it. Many countries already have minimum SAF-blending requirements, and over time, market access may depend on meeting these requirements. Without action to establish policy settings that create a level playing field, our region risks losing competitiveness, increased exposure to offshore compliance costs, and being shaped by policies set by others. The call for supportive policy settings extends beyond Z. Air New Zealand's public support for a SAF mandate last year reflects broader industry recognition of what's needed. We're continuing to collaborate with fuel supply chain partners, airports and airlines and their representative groups to help inform the Government on policy settings that aim to keep New Zealand competitive in an increasingly regulated global aviation market. Collaborative advantage Z's view is that New Zealand's approach to SAF should play to our strengths – our strong relationships, particularly our Trans-Tasman connections, may allow us to access SAF supply more effectively than attempting to build domestic production capacity from scratch. That is why Z is looking to our parent company Ampol, to see what opportunities we can leverage with our joint scale. Ampol's Memorandum of Understanding with GrainCorp and Industry Funds Management Investors (IFM) to explore the establishment of an integrated renewable fuels* industry presents one possible opportunity. The initial priority under the memorandum saw Ampol and IFM progress a feasibility assessment of a renewable fuels facility at Ampol's refinery in Brisbane and work with GrainCorp to explore the supply of homegrown feedstocks, including additional crushing capacity to supply canola oil to the potential future plant. The feasibility work for the plant is now complete, and the project has moved into the next phase of pre-FEED (front-end engineering and design). The project is still very much in its infancy, with much progress to be made before it's determined viable, but it's a step in the right direction. It's not the only project on the table, there are others exploring similar opportunities, and every initiative will keep more options on the table to hopefully see the industry create a viable market in the future. The opportunity remains New Zealand needs to evaluate any SAF policy announced in Australia and be ready to consider how it might be mirrored or adapted for the New Zealand market. This isn't just about following Australia's lead; it's about ensuring we don't create unnecessary barriers that fragment what could be a unified Trans-Tasman market. When policies are aligned, this will help investment stay in our region. Aotearoa New Zealand has a genuine opportunity to be part of building a thriving SAF market that could benefit our aviation sector, climate goals and economic competitiveness. *Note: 'Renewable fuels' is an industry term used for liquid hydrocarbons made from non-petroleum-based renewable feedstocks such as purpose-grown biomass, or from waste material such as tallow or used cooking oil. It includes sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.
