Air NZ trials Queenstown night flight

Air NZ has flown the first evening flight into Queenstown in preparation for scheduled commercial services later this month. Saturday's proving flight was the first of several planned over the coming weeks before the first commercial evening service on May 23. From this date the airline will operate a partial evening schedule between Auckland and Queenstown with the last flight arriving in Queenstown at 6.15pm before departing for Auckland at 6.50pm. The airline's full evening schedule will take effect from 3 July 2016 when the last departure from Queenstown will be 7.30pm and the last arrival at 9.35pm. New runway, taxiway, approach and apron lights have been installed at the airport as part of a $19.6m upgrade to infrastructure to allow for after dark flights. Air NZ chief flight operations and safety officer, Captain David Morgan said the implementation of evening flights has involved significant collaboration across multiple stakeholders. "It really is a milestone for New Zealand aviation and we're proud to be the first airline to offer this service to customers which is sure to bring significant benefits to the Central Otago economy through the additional flights." The airline has invested in the latest technology to enable it to operate evening flights in Queenstown under Civil Aviation Authority requirements.<br/>