Air New Zealand Cuts Domestic Flights Amid Weak Economy

“These reductions not only allow us to more appropriately respond to the level of demand we are experiencing, but they also give the airline a small amount of resilience to improve recovery options in the event of a flight disruption on our regional network,” Carr said.
“We’ve made some changes to our services in the areas where we are seeing the most impact from less flying,” Carr said.
“We understand these changes will affect some of our customers’ upcoming travel plans and as always, we’ll work with everyone impacted to rebook their travel.”
Earlier reductions on two routes—from a 171-seat Airbus A320 jet to a 68-seat ATR-72—affected the Queenstown to Christchurch and Dunedin to Wellington routes.
Flights from Christchurch to New Plymouth were reduced by three a week, cutting the early morning and late evening trips.
The airline also axed direct flights from Invercargill to Wellington starting in January of next year, with passengers having to go through Christchurch.
Founded in 1940, Air New Zealand first took to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat.
In 2023, it flew over 16 million passengers. The airline’s distinct tail livery features the Mangōpare, symbolizing strength and resilience.