Warning of delays at Auckland Airport

Abby Whitham, who was reunited with her nephew Quinn Caulfield at Auckland International Airport, is one of many who are travelling over the holiday season. Photo / Dean Purcell

Travellers are being being advised to allow half an hour extra for their journey through Auckland International Airport and customs.

Passengers numbers are expected to be in excess of 30,000 people per day as Auckland Airport gears up for some of its busiest days of the year.

Airport general manager Judy Nicholl said December and January are the busiest time of the year.

The busiest days of the year range from December 19 to January 31, with some of them falling consecutively.

"To help support the growth in passenger numbers, Auckland Airport has recently increased its international baggage belt capacity by 40 per cent, added 17,500 square metres to the airfield for aircraft parking, and next week we complete the construction of a new gate bus lounge on Pier B of the international terminal," she said.

"We will also have extra staff in the terminals over summer to help passengers, and we have been working closely with airlines and border agencies to improve the passenger experience."

Ms Nicholl said the airport had to put additional people and operations in place to cater for passenger numbers which is expected to be 15 per cent higher than last year.

She said people should also give themselves extra time to get to the airport.

"Many of us have a standard routine when departing or arriving Auckland Airport," Ms Nicholl said.

"With that in mind, we recommend everyone allows an extra 30 minutes for travel through the airport over the next couple of months. This will help ensure they have a relaxed journey.

"They should also give themselves extra time to travel to and from the airport, given the amount of roadworks happening around the Auckland region this summer."

She said passengers could play their part to keep things moving by filling the international departure cards before customs to ensure they didn't hold up other passengers.

Hand luggage requirements should also be checked before getting to the airport. Liquid, aerosol and gel containers in that hand luggage should not be larger than 100ml, and all placed in one re-sealable, transparent plastic bag.

Auckland Airport's expected 10 busiest days this summer:

•December 19, 2015
•December 20, 2015
•December 22, 2015
•December 27, 2015
•December 29, 2015
•January 3, 2016
•January 10, 2016
•January 17, 2016
•January 24, 2016
•January 31, 2016