Air New Zealand and Auckland International Airport both reported fewer international passengers last month compared to the influx of visitors a year ago when the Rugby World Cup was reaching its crescendo.
The national carrier reported a 1 per cent decline in long-haul passengers carried to 115,000 in October from the same month a year earlier, while Auckland Airport showed a 3.5 per cent decline in international passenger movements to 612,976, the companies said in separate statements.
Both transport operators showed a pick-up in domestic passenger movements from October 2011, with Air NZ increasing domestic passengers 3.5 per cent to 686,000 and Auckland Airport reporting an 11 per cent boost in domestic passenger numbers to 561,051.
The figures echo official data which showed a 15 per cent slide in the number of foreign visitors in October, with fewer Australians, Brits and South Africans - the three nationalities that had plumped the rugby tournament's numbers.
Chinese arrivals bucked the trend, jumping 44 per cent to 15,344, and Auckland Airport showed a 45 per cent pick-up in passengers landing from China. Air New Zealand's Asia/Japan/UK route showed a 1.8 per cent decline to 43,000 in October from the same month a year earlier.
