KEY POINTS:
Air New Zealand's passenger numbers and profit margins are still growing, latest figures show.
The airline's load factors - how full its flights are - for June were 78.2 per cent. That's 7.5 per cent ahead of June 2006 and 4 per cent up on May 2007.
Long-haul load factors have hit 80 per cent, driven by strong growth on routes to the UK via both the US and Asia.
Load factors to the UK via Asia were up 9.2 per cent to 74.4 per cent.
The strong rise provides more evidence that the switch to flying via Hong Kong rather than Singapore has been a success.
On routes to the UK through North America, the load factors were up 8.4 per cent to 84.4 per cent.
Higher load factors help boost profitability for airlines and this was reflected in a 7.7 per cent increase in group-wide yields for the year to date when compared with the same period last year.
Long- and short-haul yields were up 8.8 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively. The numbers were reflected on the market yesterday as Air New Zealand shares rose 9c to close at $2.61.
Auckland International Airport said yesterday that plans by Air New Zealand to seek a judicial review of proposed landing charge increases were "without merit".
On Friday Air New Zealand said it had filed proceeding in the Auckland High Court to challenge the proposed landing charges.
The airport plans to increase landing charges for airlines by 2.5 per cent a year for the next five years, with the first rise taking effect on September 1.
While the increase is below the level of inflation, airlines argue that charges should actually be coming down as growing passenger numbers increase the profitability of the airport's infrastructure.
The airport argues that the increases are to help offset the cost of $500 million of development being completed in the next financial year.
"Three years of consultation regarding the setting of new charges was conducted in strict accordance with the law and best practice," airport chief executive Don Huse said yesterday.
