Air New Zealand's welcoming two new international planes, the first expected to touch down in Auckland today

Each Airbus A321neo aircraft will have completed a nearly 20-thousand-kilometre journey to Auckland from Germany, with stopovers in Oman, Malaysia and Australia.

Once introduced, they'll fly to Australia and the Pacific Islands and offer 70-thousand additional seats each year.

The first of the aircraft is due to enter service in the coming weeks.