Air New Zealand expects 2.7 million travellers this summer, with 1.6 million on domestic flights. Photo / John Weekes
Whether it’s Christmas with family or a New Year’s Eve event with friends, Air New Zealand figures show 2.7 million New Zealanders and international visitors will be flying this summer.
The busiest day for domestic air travel in Aotearoa will be Friday, December 19, with up to 32,000 people flying. That is followed by Sunday-Tuesday, December 21-23, with about 31,000 customers taking to the skies on each of those days.
Air New Zealand’s domestic network will transport about 1.6 million passengers. Three of its most popular destinations are located in the South Island.
“Queenstown will see 260,000 customers travel to and from the region, while Nelson is gearing up for 150,000 customers and Dunedin 110,000. Napier and the Bay of Plenty are also in hot demand this summer,” Air New Zealand general manager airports Kate Boyer said.
Internationally, about 1.1 million passengers will be flying in or out of New Zealand.
A passenger at Auckland Airport today said it was already busy.
Dan Yee, who was on his way to Napier, had experienced some interruptions.
“Our flight got cancelled, so that’s why it’s been a lot busier... Engine failure, I hear,” he said.
“Yeah, it’s probably a good idea to get here early.”
Michael Gallagher was waiting for his flight to Tauranga but said he felt well looked after.
“Don’t stress, the staff are always really good and they’ll always get you where you need to go,” he said.
“We’ve had a few issues over the journey with flights delayed, etcetera, but everyone looks after you and everyone’s trying to get you home safely so just relax, you’ll get there.”
Corina Warren, on her way to Nelson, remarked that the airport felt busy but “quite organised”.
Air New Zealand’s most popular regional destinations from December 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026, are Queenstown Lakes District with 260,000 travellers, Nelson at 150,000, Bay of Plenty at 120,000, Dunedin at 110,000 and Napier at 100,000.
While internationally the top contenders are Sydney with 195,000 travellers, Melbourne at 185,000, Brisbane at 120,000, Pacific Island countries at 170,000 and Los Angeles at 56,000.
“Three Australian cities are firm favourites with 195,000 customers travelling to and from Sydney, 185,000 to and from Melbourne, and 120,000 to and from Brisbane.
“Around 170,000 customers will be crossing the Pacific with Tahiti and Fiji clear go-to getaways,” Boyer said.
The airline will be flying 56,000 passengers between Los Angeles and New Zealand.
Saturday, December 20, and Saturday, January 3, are the busiest international travel days with up to 20,000 passengers travelling each day.
An estimated 2.5 million travellers are expected to pass through Auckland Airport between December 8, 2025, and January 18, 2026.
Unlike other New Zealand airports, the majority of its travellers will be international with 1.5 million on overseas trips arriving or departing, an increase of 7.5% on last year.
“We’ve been working closely with border agencies, airlines and their ground handlers to make sure travellers get away smoothly. It will be busy, so our advice is simple: plan ahead, arrive with plenty of time and pack smart,” Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said.
There’s capacity for as many as 5.8 million travellers to arrive or depart in Auckland, from 43 destinations.
Domestic and international travel numbers will peak at different points through the Christmas and New Year period.
The busiest day for international departures from Auckland is expected to be January 4, while January 15 is forecast to be its busiest day for international arrivals.
In terms of domestic departures from Auckland, December 19 is tipped to be the busiest day and January 16 the busiest for domestic arrivals.
Nearly half a million travellers are expected to pass through Wellington Airport over the Christmas and New Year period.
The busiest single day was set to be Thursday, December 18, with about 18,000 travellers.
Flights in and out of Wellington between December 15 and January 11 have the capacity to fly 350,000 domestic passengers and 90,000 international.
Wellington Airport’s head of operations Matthew Palliser said as well as possibly seeing Air New Zealand’s first electric aircraft on the tarmac, it also claimed to be the country’s most festive.
“We’re proud to be the most Christmassy airport in the country with over 65 individually decorated Christmas trees raising funds for cystic fibrosis. We’ve also got live music and Christmas carol singing,” Palliser said.
Christchurch Airport’s capacity between November 25 and March 26 has increased 11% compared with last year, with an additional 236,000 domestic seats and 139,000 international seats in and out of Christchurch available during that period.
Popular destinations out of Christchurch include Adelaide, Cairns, Gold Coast and Fiji.
Close to 150,000 passengers will be travelling on flights in and out of Dunedin over the December and January period.
As many locals head off for a break over summer, the airport’s chief executive Daniel De Bono is also ready for some downtime.
“It’s been a big year for Dunedin Airport with the Gold Coast direct service starting and winning Medium Airport of the Year being big highlights amongst many. While the airport never closes, many of our people will now get some well-deserved time with their families,” De Bono said.
New Zealand’s tourism capital will have about 150,000 passengers passing through its airport between December 20 and January 4, with nearly 57,000 of those heading to or from Australia.
About 10,000 passengers a day will be flying in or out on December 20, 27 and 28, and January 2, 3 and 4.
“Summer is always a special time in Queenstown. We love the excitement in the terminal as people fly in to spend Christmas with whānau or head off on adventures,” head of operations, compliance and safety Juliet Breen said.
RNZ spoke to a number of airlines and airports before the holiday season to find out what tips they had for people travelling over the summer period. Almost all of them listed ensuring items with batteries were dealt with correctly as their No 1 piece of advice.
Before you pack your bags, make sure any item that may have a battery in it is put in your carry-on luggage. This includes anything powered by lithium batteries, such as hearing aids, vapes or headphones. Anything that is checked in will be removed and cannot be returned. Aviation Security has extensive information on its website.
Arriving at the airport with plenty of time and ensuring you’re at your gate in time will also help ensure a less stressful trip.
While some airports no longer need laptops and liquids to be removed at security, for most this is still the norm. So pack accordingly and be ready to remove these items when you get to security. This includes liquids, aerosols and gels such as perfume.
Make sure you drink plenty of water before and during your flight, and remember alcohol can hit you harder in the air than it does on the ground.
Check in online, and use the time that saves to get through security earlier so you’re at your gate with plenty of time to spare should there be any issues.
– RNZ