Airport's busiest Christmas travel days revealed as Auckland border lifts

From stop to go: Auckland Airport's $160m new roading is preparing to see a 4000 per cent increase in passengers. Photo / Helen Twose, Supplied

With the Auckland travel border lowering at midnight tonight, the airport is getting ready for the start of the Summer airlift.

Following 16 weeks in lockdown and the lowest domestic passenger numbers since 1966 when records began, the restart of air links is welcome news for the Airport. Wednesday sees restrictions lift with a 4000 per cent jump in passenger movements.

The top destinations are, predictably, Wellington, then Christchurch followed by Queenstown.

However the airport says that travel will take a few days to approach its busiest peak.

Total movements on Wednesday are roughly half the daily pre-lockdown average of 23,000, but Auckland Airport's GM of operations Anna Cassels-Brown says things are about to get busy.

"Even those first days after the Auckland border opens should see a lot of travellers, with close to 30 per cent more travellers than the same time last year."

Travel starved Aucklanders are getting ready to jet out of the city peaking at 27,000 passengers on Wednesday, next week.

"Based on our forecasts those days leading up to Christmas from the 22nd onward are when a lot of people will be travelling in and out of Auckland Airport, with first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, and the early evening particularly busy," said Cassels-Brown.

With the increased strain of summer travel and new requirements concerning proof of vaccination or tests, it may take longer to clear departures than normal. Travellers are advised to turn up 60 minutes before domestic flights.

"We just need everyone to be prepared for that experience, including allowing more time pre-departure," said Ms Cassels-Brown.

Air New Zealand revealed it is preparing to fly 12,000 seats in and out of Auckland Airport tomorrow.

The airline says it has more than 720,000 customers booked to fly around New Zealand between now and the end of the year.

Air New Zealand Chief of customer Leanne Geraghty says check in may look a little different than usual.

Passengers 12 or older will need to show either proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test result taken no later than 72 hours of travel.

Geraghty advises passengers to link their vaccine status to their Air New Zealand Airpoints App to speed up the departures process.

"We've had nearly 130,000 customers upload their My Vaccine Pass to their Airpoints profile. This means their check in process looks the same as it always has because their vaccination status is already verified."

The airline says it could be a real time-saver when things get busy in the Christmas rush.

Busiest days for domestic travel at Auckland Airport

1 Thursday, 23 December 2021
2 Wednesday, 22 December 2021
3 Friday, 24 December 2021
4 Monday, 27 December 2021
5 Tuesday, 28 December 2021
6 Friday, 17 December 2021
7 Sunday, 2 January 2022
8 Thursday, 16 December 2021
9 Sunday, 26 December 2021
10 Sunday, 9 January 2022