Demand sees Air New Zealand re-open lounge: Domestic passenger numbers picking up

The airline's Wellington regional lounge. Photo / supplied

Air New Zealand has re-opened its Wellington regional lounge on weekdays for the first time since the pandemic.

Alison Swarbrick, the airline's senior manager of global lounges and valet, announced the move which she said was to accommodate strong domestic demand.

The Wellington domestic lounge is open as usual on weekends and public holidays.

"It's great to see Kiwis travel their own country and we're pleased to be open again," she said.

Wellington Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson says domestic passenger numbers are picking up again.

"Our regular travellers will arrive and depart from the gates they were used to pre-Covid. They will also be able to enjoy more regular terminal entertainment and faster security screening following the rollout of new smart lanes by Aviation Security at the end of last year."

Air New Zealand reported an after-tax loss of $454 million for the year ended June 30, 2020, down on the previous year's $276m profit.

It expected to operate at around 80 per cent of its pre-Covid capacity in January and February.

Those two months are when it traditionally flew the highest number of international travellers.

From being a consumer darling, the national carrier became the company that prompted the highest number of complaints to the Commerce Commission last year.

Although its domestic operations have recovered strongly, restoration of its international network could be years away.

For the next few months, the international operation is running at just 5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

The number of international flights fell from more than 30,000 in 2019 to fewer than 10,000 in 2020.

Despite a strong domestic recovery, the number of passengers carried by the airline overall dropped from 17.6 million in 2019 to 8.4m last year.