Auckland International Airport, the nation's largest gateway, has experienced record international travel demand for the week ended January 8.
There were over 170,000 international arrivals or departures during the week, which is more than any other recorded week, even the peak periods experienced during the final stages of the Rugby World Cup 2011, said Judy Nicholl, general manager aeronautical operation in a statement.
"This result indicates that despite some challenging economic conditions, more people than ever are willing and able to travel internationally to and from New Zealand."
New direct services to Asia were introduced at Auckland late last year by offshore airlines, although the national carrier, Air New Zealand, reported a downturn of 5 percent in international travelers in December.
The airline carried 173,000 long-haul passengers in the month of December, down from 182,000 a year earlier, with 3.8 percent fewer revenue passenger kilometers racked up at 1,619 million. Domestic travel buoyed total numbers, which were down 0.6 percent at 1.3 million.
The Auckland-based company told analysts and investors in November it's aiming for a $110 million profit improvement by 2015 from long-haul flights, which have been under-performing for the airport.
