As Kiwis take to domestic travel at higher rates than expected amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, Air New Zealand has greatly increased the number of flights it's offering on national routes.
The airline will be operating domestically at 70 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels in August, it says, having previously expected to be operating at 55 percent.
The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the international air travel industry, but after Aotearoa eliminated community transmission of the disease and came out of lockdown, domestic tourism has seen a boom.
During a select committee briefing on Thursday that saw Air New Zealand bosses questioned by MPs over COVID-19's effect on business, they claimed demand for domestic travel was much higher than anticipated.
On Friday the national carrier reiterated it was "pleasantly surprised" by the higher demand, and is putting hundreds of extra flights on sale as a result.
"We've added or upgauged more than 400 one-way flights in August. This includes operating an additional 408 one-way flights and 18 flights, which have been upgauged to a larger aircraft," said the airline's general manager of networks, Scott Carr.
The following domestic routes are having their capacity increased in August:
Auckland to/from
- Christchurch
- Nelson
- Queenstown
- Wellington
Christchurch to/from
- Dunedin
- Hamilton
- Invercargill
- Nelson
- New Plymouth
- Palmerston North
- Queenstown
- Tauranga
- Wellington
Wellington to/from
- Blenheim
- Dunedin
- Hamilton
- Napier
- Nelson
- New Plymouth
- Queenstown
- Tauranga
- Timaru
