Air NZ "grace period" schedule extended for another day

Air New Zealand will continue a normal schedule from Queenstown to Auckland and Wellington for an extra 24 hours after the government extended the two-day grace period. CE Greg Foran said he was “relieved” and “grateful” at the decision, which means the airline will operate seven services from the resort town. It comes as New Zealand on Thursday reported another 11 cases of the Delta variant, taking the total outbreak to 21. The whole country is currently in a three-day lockdown, with Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula facing restrictions for a week. “Yesterday we added four additional services out of Queenstown for today, and they sold out within minutes,” said Foran. “Queenstown is a popular holiday destination, so it’s no surprise to us that it’s where the pressure is coming from. We estimate there are somewhere around 600 people requiring flights, so we are confident that the additional 700 seats tomorrow will ensure that there are options for those that need it. As always, we will continue to monitor the demand and adjust as needed”. The airline also announced details of its new lockdown schedule, which will only enable domestic travel for essential reasons and require proof of the reason for travel.<br/>