Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Luxon will be amongst the first to travel on today's new Air New Zealand non-stop flight service between Auckland and Chicago.
The airline has made room for the direct flight as tourism growth to the United States is projected to increase.
"With our alliance partner United operating more flights out of its hub of O'Hare international Airport than any other airline, the new service to Chicago will provide customers with convenient one-stop codeshare connections to around one hundred destinations across the US," said Mr Luxon.
"More and more Americans are coming here to experience our manaakitanga, our unique Kiwi hospitality that makes visitors feel like whānau as soon as they step off the plane," Mr Davis said in a statement today.
In 2017 more than 330,000 Americans visited New Zealand, spending nearly $1.3 billion across the country.
According to Mr Davis these numbers are projected to grow, with visitors expected to contribute over $2.3 billion to the New Zealand economy by 2024.
"The more links we have with each other, the more opportunities there are for business, travel and people-to-people connections. This route will boost these opportunities and deepen the relationship between New Zealand and the United States," Kelvin Davis said.
Nearly 60 per cent of American visitors travel to New Zealand outside of the peak season.
The first flight took off about 5pm today.
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