Air NZ: Central Otago a top summer destination with 100,000 passengers booked

Today (Friday December 22) is Air New Zealand's busiest day of the year with nearly 50,000 people booked to take off to destinations across Aotearoa and overseas with the airline reporting strong demand for the Central Otago region ahead of the holidays.

Air New Zealand Regional Affairs Manager, Jason Dawson, says Air NZ will play a key role in connecting travellers with the both Queenstown Lakes District and wider Central Otago region.

“More than 100,000 travellers will be travelling through the region this summer and it’s easy to see why. Queenstown Airport is the gateway to Central Otago and the region’s top-notch wineries, award-winning restaurants, and stunning trails appeal to visitors keen to get adventuring and in the outdoors.”

“Auckland to Queenstown is one of our busiest routes domestically this Christmas, while the busiest day for arrivals will be Wednesday 27 December, followed by Thursday 28 December, and Saturday 23 December.”

The Air New Zealand lounge at Queenstown Airport will be serving up a special Christmas menu during the festive season including ham, asparagus, and strawberries for those travelling through.

"Connecting friends and whānau with each other during the holiday period is an important part of what we do. Our team work extremely hard to ensure customers have the best experience while flying with us. Over the busy holiday season we suggest that everyone allow plenty of time to get through the airport, especially if you’re travelling with pets, oversized bags, or require special assistance.

Air New Zealand’s tips on how to prepare for travel this holiday season can be found here.

Air New Zealand is expecting to fly more than one million customers domestically between 15 December 2023 and 31 January 2024.

Some more summer travel stats from Air NZ:

• Air New Zealand’s summer period referred to above is from 15 December 2023 to 31 January 2024
• More than 1.7million customers are booked to travel between 15 December 2023 and 31 January 2024 on both the domestic and international networks.
• Friday 22 of December will be the busiest day across the whole network with nearly 50,000 booked to travel.
• More than 350,000 customers will travel to Trans-Tasman destinations over this period, with the most popular routes from Auckland to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
• There will be more than 330,000 people who travel through the rest of Air New Zealand’s international network.
• The busiest route domestically is Auckland to Christchurch, with Wellington and Queenstown following close behind. The most popular destination regionally is Nelson.
• Customers should check the CAA website to ensure that their Christmas goodies are allowed on the aircraft.

Check the latest travel news and flight details direct with Queenstown Airport.