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Air New Zealand's domestic service will be expanded from October.
The airline said it would introduce non-stop routes between Invercargill and Wellington (six flights a week), a weekday flight between Tauranga and Christchurch, and a weekday flight between New Plymouth and Christchurch.
It will also add an additional daily service between Hamilton and Christchurch from June 4.
The new fleet of Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 aircraft, which carry 50 passengers, will be used on the new services.
The move comes at a time when a new low-cost airline is considering entering the market.
Florida-based aviation investor Patrick Weil said last Wednesday he had $27 million of backing to set up a low-cost carrier called KiwiJet.
Last week Air New Zealand staff were told in a memo that a low-cost carrier was one of three or four growth initiatives being considered by the company as part of a strategic review.
The memo warned staff about the importance of secrecy about airline strategy and noted that many of the services proposed by Kiwijet bore a surprising similarity to opportunities Air New Zealand was exploring as part of its review.
Air New Zealand shares closed up 3c yesterday at $2.88.
