July 2002, Air New Zealand began a fleet renewal programme and confirmed an order for 14 new Airbus A320s. The Airbus aircraft replace Boeing 767-200 and Boeing 737-300 aircraft that are being progressively retired from the fleet.
In October 2004, the airline announced an upgrade to the turbo-prop fleet, with an agreement to acquire 17 new Bombardier 50 seat Q300 turbo-prop aircraft, and options to purchase a further 10 Q300 and 13 Q400 aircraft. The new aircraft will replace the fleet of 17 33-seater Saab 340A aircraft.