Air New Zealand suspends Christchurch-Gold Coast flights over summer amid operational constraints

Air New Zealand will introduce a seasonal suspension on its Christchurch to Gold Coast service. Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland

• Air New Zealand will suspend its Christchurch to Gold Coast service from November 2025 to March 2026.
• It says the decision is due to demand, market conditions and fleet constraints.
• Affected customers will be rebooked via Auckland as engine issues continue to impact the airline’s operations.

Air New Zealand has revealed it will suspend its Christchurch to Gold Coast service over the upcoming summer period, citing a number of factors impacting its operational capacity.

Travel agents were informed yesterday that the transtasman route would be suspended for a period of five months, from November 2025 to March 2026.

Air New Zealand chief commercial officer Jeremy O’Brien told the Herald the airline had “made the difficult decision to introduce a seasonal suspension on its Christchurch to Gold Coast services”.

O’Brien said the decision was influenced by “ongoing demand and market conditions, along with our wider fleet constraints”.

“We need to make careful decisions about where we operate over the period. We remain committed to providing reliable services across our network,” O’Brien said.

“This suspension will only affect a small number of customers with bookings, who will be rebooked via Auckland.”

Air New Zealand was suspending the service due to “ongoing demand and market conditions, along with our wider fleet constraints”, chief commercial officer Jeremy O’Brien said.

The airline will continue to operate the Christchurch to Gold Coast service three times a week until October.

“We thank customers for their understanding while we work through this change,” O’Brien said.

Although the service’s suspension is a new development, New Zealand’s national carrier has already warned travellers that its flight schedule would continue to be affected by engine issues with its Airbus A320neos and Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

In 2023, Pratt & Whitney said it would need to inspect the quality of 700 engines from Airbus A320neos worldwide after it discovered a “rare condition” in the powdered metal used to make its turbo-fan engines.

Meanwhile, several of the airline’s 787 Dreamliners are having their Rolls-Royce Trent 100 engines inspected for premature wear and weakness but face maintenance delays.

Inspections and potential replacements can take up to 300 days per engine, creating significant operational complexities.

The Auckland to Gold Coast service is the latest to be suspended by Air New Zealand. Photo / Tourism Queensland

Air New Zealand‘s Christchurch to Gold Coast connection is the third international service to have been suspended after its engine troubles.

The airline announced in February that it would end its seasonal Auckland to Seoul (Incheon) service.

At the time, O’Brien said it was due to “ongoing challenges with engine availability”.

The Seoul connection usually operates for six months from October to March.

March 29 marked the final flight for this seasonal route to and from South Korea’s capital.

The airline paused its non-stop flights between Auckland and Chicago last year, again citing engine issues.

It expects to resume flights to the North American city by the end of 2025.

Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.