Another flight reduction is coming for flights in Tauranga. Photo / Warren Buckland
Another flight reduction is coming for flights in Tauranga. Photo / Warren Buckland
Air New Zealand has announced further temporary changes to the Tauranga network due to continued high jet fuel prices.
From June 29 to July 26, the airline will be removing 27 return flights on the Tauranga–Auckland route (mainly mid-morning and late-night services Monday to Wednesday plus midday on Thursday), 12return flights on the Tauranga–Wellington route (midday Monday to Friday), and five return flights on the Tauranga–Christchurch route, Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said in a post on his Facebook page.
“For context, there will still be 375 return flights scheduled to and from Tauranga during this period. The airline has focused on reductions in lower-demand and off-peak services wherever possible,” Rutherford said.
In a statement to SunLive, Air New Zealand confirmed it has made a small number of schedule changes for travel across July.
The airline said the consolidations would affect about 2% of passengers travelling nationwide during the period, with most customers expected to still reach their destination on the same day.
“We’ve targeted the consolidations to minimise disruption and to ensure that the vast majority of impacted customers can still travel on the same day,” an Air New Zealand spokesperson said.
Affected customers were to be notified from 9am on Thursday.
Air New Zealand said passengers whose new flight arrangements did not suit their plans could opt for a refund or credit, while those who did not hear from the airline should assume their flights were operating as scheduled.
“We remain focused on keeping New Zealanders connected and maintaining a reliable, fuel‑efficient schedule,” the spokesperson said.
In a statement to SunLive, Rutherford said he was concerned about the impact the changes could have on the region.
“I will continue to advocate for better regional connectivity for our local community and I have been raising these issues directly with Air New Zealand.”
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford. Photo / Alex Cairns
This is the third time this year that Air New Zealand flights in the Tauranga network have been reduced.
In April, Rutherford announced that for May and June, the airline would be consolidating Auckland services by 27 rotations (averaging four per week), Wellington services by 30 rotations (averaging four per week), and Christchurch services by 10 rotations (averaging one per week).
The changes follow earlier reductions already in place from March 16 to May 3.
Rutherford said the reductions were a temporary measure in response to high jet fuel prices and he encouraged affected passengers to contact the airline directly.
He said the Government established a ministerial group in March to provide strategic oversight and co-ordinated leadership across agencies to respond to potential disruptions to jet fuel and other key supply chains.
“While these reductions are unwelcome, the country is in a stronger position to deal with this challenge thanks to the economic recovery and responsible management over the past two years,” Rutherford said.
