Air NZ "willing and able" to bring more Kiwis home from Australia

Air New Zealand has promised to offer more repatriation flights from Australia back to New Zealand in line with demand, as the airline’s domestic capacity soars above pre-COVID levels. The New Zealand flag carrier has announced demand across its domestic network has seen it increase its capacity in that sector to 104% that of pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, the carrier is pushing to return New Zealanders currently in Australia back home before the trans-Tasman bubble is officially put on pause for two months from 11.59pm on 30 July. Air NZ CE Greg Foran said the airline was “ready, willing and able” to add on additional repatriation flights to bring New Zealanders home from Australia before the deadline. “Trust us. We have seen plenty of people reach out over the weekend. We’ve got about 7500 people booked to return to New Zealand through to midnight this Friday,” he said. Current estimates suggest there are about 21,000 New Zealanders still in Australia, and it is unclear just how many will be looking to cross the Tasman before 30 July.<br/>