The dramatic development comes hours after the airline suspended all of its flights and weeks after a rash of speculation about the future of the airline.
The carrier will use Wellington Airport as its home base for the ALIA, which it expects to receive starting late next year. It will initially fly cargo services with NZ Post from Wellington to Marlborough Airport on the other side of the Cook Strait.
The dramatic development comes hours after the airline suspended all of its flights and weeks after a rash of speculation about the future of the airline.