Auckland Airport gears up for summer with 207,000 more international seats

• 5.8 million seats to 43 international destinations (November 2025 to March 2026)
• Capacity up 3.7% on summer 2024/25 (207,000 seats)
• 2.4 million New Zealanders travelled overseas in the year to September 2025
• Leisure travel up 5%, with trips of 15–27 days up 12% in the year to September 2025

The recovery is ramping up with more than 207,000 additional international seats scheduled to Auckland Airport this summer, lifting total capacity to 5.8 million seats and connecting travellers directly to 43 global destinations.

Scott Tasker, Chief Customer Officer at Auckland Airport, said that while overall capacity is up close to 4 per cent on last summer, some clear travel trends are emerging.

“Kiwis continue to embrace overseas travel. In the year to September, more than 2.4 million New Zealanders departed Auckland Airport for overseas adventures, with Australia, Fiji, China, the US and Cook Islands our top five destinations.

“What’s particularly interesting is that leisure travel is leading the way – up 5 per cent over the year to September – and Kiwis are taking longer trips. Travel between 15 and 27 days has grown 12 per cent, while shorter breaks have declined slightly,” Mr Tasker said.

“While we’re still short 526,000 seats (8%) on summer 2018/2019 – the last period not impacted by COVID – we’re working hard to bring that connectivity back. It’s not just about connecting Kiwi travellers to the world. Every additional international aircraft touchdown at AKL brings a further $1.4 million in economic value.”

North America: more choice, more premium travel

Looking ahead to the summer months, the great connectivity to North America is providing plenty of options to get away and welcoming more visitors to enjoy a Kiwi Christmas.

“With seven competing airlines – Air New Zealand, Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines and Qantas – flying direct to seven cities plus Fiji Airways and Air Tahiti Nui offering one-stop links to the US, we’ve never had more choice or more seats to North America,” Mr Tasker said.

“California has long been a strong market, but year-round, non-stop services to New York and Houston as well as seasonal non-stop flights to Dallas/Fort Worth are now bringing a 40 per cent increase in visitors from states east of the Mississippi for the summer peak. Those long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights open up a whole new group of travellers whose next stop after a short domestic hop to a large US hub airport is a touchdown in Auckland,” Mr Tasker said.

In the aviation world, the New Zealand summer – known as the Northern Winter flying season – runs for the five months from the last Sunday in October to the last Saturday in March.

“We’re now seeing some seasonal carriers extend their operations into April and May,” Mr Tasker said. “That’s a great result for tourism. The autumn months are still an amazing time to visit New Zealand while it can still be cold and unsettled in the Northern Hemisphere Spring.

“The other trend we’re seeing is the increasing ‘premiumisation’ of the aircraft flying the North American routes. Travellers are prepared to treat themselves on the long-haul flights and airlines are responding. There are now 11 per cent more premium seats on North American routes with around a quarter of the aircraft typically now business or premium economy seats.

“These are great travellers for our local tourism and hospitality sector, keen to experience the best we have to offer across food and beverage, accommodation, cultural and scenic attractions. With a strong US dollar, currently trading around 17 per cent higher than 2019, they’re well placed to see and do more while they are here.”

Advance Australia fair

Australia is the number one destination from AKL, accounting for around 35 per cent of all international passenger departures. Of all travellers on the Tasman, just over 40 per cent are New Zealanders visiting Australia and 36 per cent are Australians visiting here.

“We’re still missing just under 12 per cent capacity on the Tasman compared to 2019, but airlines are adding flights to meet demand,” Mr Tasker said. “There’s around 6 per cent more capacity compared to last summer, including Qantas Group adding 32 flights per week with Jetstar putting on extra trans-Tasman flights on the Brisbane and Sydney routes, plus Qantas’ seasonal connection to Adelaide and the soon-to-launch year-round Perth service adding competition on the popular route.”

Asia on the rise at AKL

Further afield, Asian destinations are growing in popularity for New Zealanders, with one in four international travellers – or 662,000 people – headed to Asia in the past year, an increase of nearly 15 per cent.

“That’s 89,000 more Kiwi travellers, with the biggest growth to China, Indonesia including Bali, and Japan,” Mr Tasker said.

“While we’re still missing a couple of airlines from our pre-COVID line-up – Thai Airways and Philippine Airlines – connectivity into China has been fantastic and continues to grow.”

Six airlines now fly direct between Auckland and eight destinations in mainland China: Air China, Air New Zealand, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines.

December sees the return of Sichuan Airlines’ non-stop Chengdu-Auckland service, with the twice-weekly flights expected to bring an additional 22,000 visitors to New Zealand each year.

“We’re also around a week away from China Eastern Airlines launching its twice-weekly Shanghai-Auckland-Buenos Aires route on 4 December, an exciting new service that positions Auckland Airport as a strategic transit point linking Asia and South America.”

The connectivity provided by these airlines not only improves access to China but also links into major airport hubs offering hundreds of onward connections across Asia and Europe.

“That’s great news for inbound travel as well,” Mr Tasker said.

“More Chinese travellers are now booking independent trips, staying longer and seeking higher-quality, family-focused experiences – exactly the kind of visitor our tourism and hospitality operators are geared to welcome.”

From November, Chinese visitors holding eligible Australian visas can enter New Zealand from Australia visa-free by applying for NZeTA - convenience that could drive more demand from Chinese visitors looking at holidaying in both countries on the same trip.

Nearly 250,000 Chinese tourists visited New Zealand in the year ending September 2025, making China New Zealand’s third largest tourism market. It is anticipated as many as 50,000 additional visitors could also arrive annually via Australia following the visa changes.

“It’s shaping up to be a solid summer for our local tourism industry and for New Zealanders heading overseas,” Mr Tasker said.

“With more capacity, extended seasonal flights and growing choice across our global network, it’s another step forward in connecting New Zealand with the world.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

New services and airline capacity growth on air routes at AKL for summer 2025/2026 (northern winter 2025 schedule season):