Source: Radio New Zealand
Auckland Airport on Friday, its busiest day of the year for domestic departures. RNZ / Kim Baker-Wilson
Whether it’s Christmas with family, or a New Year’s Eve event with friends Air New Zealand figures show 2.7 million New Zealanders and international visitors will be flying this summer.
The busiest days for domestic air travel in Aotearoa are Friday 19 December with up to 32,000 travellers flying, followed by Sunday 21, Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December, with around 31,000 customers taking to the skies on each of those days.
Air New Zealand’s domestic network will transport around 1.6 million passengers. Three of its most popular destinations are located in the South Island.
“Queenstown will see 260,000 customers travel to and from the region while Nelson is gearing up for 150,000 customers, and Dunedin 110,000. Napier and the Bay of Plenty are also in hot demand this summer,” Air New Zealand general manager airports Kate Boyer said.
Internationally, around 1.1m passengers will be flying in or out of New Zealand.
A passenger at Auckland Airport today said it was already busy.
Dan Yee who was on his way to Napier had had some interruptions.
“Our flight got cancelled, so that’s why it’s been a lot busier… Engine failure, I hear,” he said.
“Definitely today has been a lot busier than usual. I was surprised to be caught up in a very long queue.”
“Yeah, it’s probably a good idea to get here early.”
Michael Gallagher was waiting for his flight to Tauranga, but said he felt well looked after.
“Don’t stress, the staff are always really good and they’ll always get you where you need to go,” he said.
“We’ve had a few issues over the journey with flights delayed, etcetera, but everyone looks after you and everyone’s trying to get you home safely so just relax, you’ll get there.”
Corina Warren, on her way to Nelson, remarked that the airport felt busy but “quite organised”.
Air New Zealand’s most popular regional destinations from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2026 are Queenstown Lakes District with 260,000 travellers, Nelson at 150,000, Bay of Plenty at 120,000, Dunedin at 110,000 and Napier at 100,000.
While internationally the top contenders are Sydney with 195,000 travellers, Melbourne at 185,000, Brisbane at 120,000, Pacific Islands countries at 170,000 and Los Angeles at 56,000.
“Three Australian cities are firm favourites with 195,000 customers travelling to and from Sydney, 185,000 to and from Melbourne, and 120,000 to and from Brisbane.
“Around 170,000 customers will be crossing the Pacific with Tahiti and Fiji clear go to getaways,” Boyer said.
There will be 56,000 passengers flying to or from Los Angeles from New Zealand on the airline.
Saturday 20 December and Saturday 3 January are the busiest international travel days with up to 20,000 passengers travelling each day.
Auckland Airport’s departure board on Friday. RNZ / Kim Baker-Wilson
Auckland Airport
An estimated 2.5 million travellers are expected to pass through Auckland Airport between 8 December 2025 and 18 January 2026.
Unlike other New Zealand airports, the majority of its travellers will be international with 1.5m international travellers arriving or departing, an increase of 7.5 percent on last year.
“We’ve been working closely with border agencies, airlines and their ground handlers to make sure travellers get away smoothly. It will be busy, so our advice is simple: plan ahead, arrive with plenty of time and pack smart,” Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said.
There’s capacity for as many as 5.8m travellers to arrive or depart in Auckland, from 43 destinations.
Domestic and international travel numbers will peak at different points through the Christmas and New Year period.
The busiest day for international departures from Auckland is expected to be 4 January, while 15 January is forecast to be its busiest day for international arrivals.
In terms of domestic departures from Auckland 19 December is tipped to be the busiest day, while 16 January is the busiest for domestic arrivals.
Passengers killing time at Auckland Airport on Friday. RNZ / Kim Baker-Wilson
Wellington Airport
Nearly half a million travellers are expected to pass through Wellington Airport over the Christmas and New Year period.
The busiest single day being Thursday 18 December with around 18,000 travellers.
Flights in and out of Wellington between 15 December and 11 January have the capacity to fly 350,000 domestic passengers and 90,000 international.
Wellington Airport’s head of operations Matthew Palliser said as well as the possibility of seeing Air New Zealand’s first ever electric aircraft on the tarmac, it also claimed to be the country’s most festive.
“We’re proud to be the most Christmassy airport in the country with over 65 individually decorated Christmas trees raising funds for cystic fibrosis. We’ve also got live music and Christmas carol singing,” Palliser said.
Christchurch Airport
Christchurch Airport’s capacity between 25 November and 26 March has increased 11 percent compared to last year, with an additional 236,000 domestic seats and 139,000 international seats in and out of Christchurch will be available during that period.
Popular destinations out of Christchurch include Adelaide, Cairns, Gold Coast and Fiji.
Dunedin Airport
Close to 150,000 passengers will be travelling on flights in and out of Dunedin over the December and January period.
As many locals head off for a break over summer, the airport’s chief executive Daniel De Bono is also ready for some downtime.
“It’s been a big year for Dunedin Airport with the Gold Coast direct service starting and winning Medium Airport of the Year being big highlights amongst many. While the airport never closes, many of our people will now get some well deserved time with their families,” De Bono said.
Queenstown Airport
New Zealand’s tourism capital will see around 150,000 passengers passing through its airport between 20 December and 4 January, with nearly 57,000 of those heading to or from Australia.
Around 10,000 passengers a day will be flying in or out on 20, 27 and 28 December, and 2, 3, and 4 January.
“Summer is always a special time in Queenstown. We love the excitement in the terminal as people fly in to spend Christmas with whānau or head off on adventures,” head of operations, compliance and safety Juliet Breen said.
The number one piece of advice for those flying this summer is to ensure that items containing batteries are packed in carry-on luggage. RNZ / Kim Baker-Wilson
Advice for flyers
RNZ spoke to a number of airlines and airports in the lead up to the holiday season to find out what tips they had for people travelling over the summer period. Almost all of them listed ensuring items with batteries were dealt with correctly as their number one piece of advice.
Before you pack your luggage, make sure any item that may have a battery in it is packed in your carry on luggage, that includes anything powered by lithium batteries such as hearing aids, vapes or headphones. Anything that is checked in will be removed and cannot be returned. Aviation Security has extensive information on its website.
Arriving at the airport with plenty of time and ensuring you’re at your gate in time will also help ensure a less stressful trip.
While some airports no longer need laptops and liquids to be removed at security, for most this is still the norm. So pack accordingly and be ready to remove these items when you get to security. This includes liquids, aerosols and gels such as perfume.
Make sure you drink plenty of water before and during your flight, and remember alcohol can hit you harder in the air than it does on the ground.
Check in online, and use the time that saves you to get through security earlier so you’re at your gate with plenty of time to spare should there be any issues.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
