Pacific Blue may expand NZ domestic network

Cuts to airline Pacific Blue's main trunk services could see it soon announce an expansion of its domestic network in New Zealand.

The Christchurch-based subsidiary of Australian-based Virgin Blue has a new schedule from August 1, which shows an 18 per cent cut in the number of domestic services, less than a month after fellow budget airline Jetstar replaced Qantas on domestic routes here.

Twenty-four flights a week have been cut, including 10 on the Auckland-Wellington route and 14 to and from Christchurch, The Dominion Post reported.

Pacific Blue has added two flights a week between Auckland and Christchurch but will not fly any services out of Christchurch after 2.30pm, seemingly leaving afternoon and evening traffic to Air New Zealand.

From next month it will also start flying direct between Auckland and Dunedin, replacing the current Christchurch to Dunedin flights.

More aircraft and new destinations announced in the next few weeks would reinstate nearly all the capacity removed from the schedule, said Pacific Blue commercial general manager Adrian Hamilton-Manns.

Adding Queenstown to the network was an option the airline could look at, he said.

Meanwhile, Wellington Airport said it expected Pacific Blue to start flying its new Embraer E-190 aircraft on a regional route from Wellington by the end of this year.

Pacific Blue toured a 104-seat Embraer E-190 regional jet around the country in May, and said it planned to start competing with Air New Zealand on some key regional routes.

- NZPA