Air NZ reduces capacity on three regional routes

More changes are on the way to several domestic routes with Air NZ from next year.

Air New Zealand is making changes to four domestic routes and reducing capacity to three of them, affecting Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, Blenheim and New Plymouth.

On Monday, the airline announced it will stop direct flights between Wellington and Invercargill next January because of a decline in domestic demand “in response to a tough economic backdrop”.

Now it has revealed changes to more direct services, including two routes that will operate at times on smaller ATR aircraft instead of a jet. ATR is a French/Italian manufacturer of regional aircraft.

This would be a reduction of 103 seats, the airline confirmed.

Air New Zealand general manager domestic Scott Carr said the company has to ensure its operations are financially sustainable.

“We regularly review our schedule and will sometimes make adjustments to ensure our services are fit for purpose and meet demand appropriately. Over recent months, we’ve seen domestic demand soften across most customer segments in response to a tough economic backdrop,” Carr said in a written statement to the Herald.

“This is most evident on some of our regional network. Concurrently, we also have aircraft out of service due to global engine maintenance issues. As a result, we’ve made some adjustments to our schedule.”

For passengers who have already booked to travel, Carr said Air NZ is already in the process of re-accommodating them.

“We know this change may cause inconvenience for some, but we want to assure our customers that we remain committed to connecting New Zealanders to each other and the world and we apologise for any inconveniences these changes may cause,” he said.

The airline has not yet specified the exact date the changes come into effect but has said it will occur at different times in January or February 2025.

Air NZ Queenstown to Christchurch

• First flight of the morning from Queenstown to Christchurch will be on the smaller ATR aircraft instead of a jet, which will depart slightly later – just before 9am.
• The last service from Christchurch to Queenstown will be mid-afternoon.
• The change is due to lower demand and daylight operating limits for turboprops, the airline said.
• The Auckland jet service will increase by two more services a week.

Air NZ Dunedin to Wellington

• This will also fly on the smaller ATR aircraft morning and evening.
• Dunedin passengers travelling to Wellington for the day will be able to arrive in Wellington at 8.30am.
• The return non-stop flight will be at 4.30pm with a connection via Christchurch just after 6pm.

Air NZ Christchurch to New Plymouth

• The late evening flight from Christchurch to New Plymouth, and the early flight from New Plymouth to Christchurch will be replaced with more leisure flights in the middle of the day as these are more popular with passengers.
• These flights will take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Overall, this results in a reduction of three flights per week.

Air NZ Blenheim to Wellington

• Overall capacity from Blenheim to Wellington will remain the same, but the first flight of the day will be slightly later.