Nearly 800,000 set to fly with Air NZ these school holidays

Nearly 800,000 people are set to fly with Air New Zealand over the upcoming school holidays, while Auckland Airport is preparing for the approximate equivalent of the population of Tauranga to pass through its arrivals and departures areas over the weekend. Air New Zealand said 790,000 customers were booked to fly with the airline over the two-week holiday period, including more than 4000 unaccompanied minors and 250 pets. Some 519,000 customers will make domestic trips, while the remaining 271,000 will travel internationally. The most popular overseas destinations over the New Zealand and Australian school holidays, which run from April 13-28, are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Singapore and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, close to 160,000 travellers are expected to pass through Auckland Airport between Friday and Sunday, with the latter being the busiest day for international departures. The busiest day for international arrivals is set to be Sunday April 28. Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said that, while there are nearly 15% fewer flights than at the same time before the pandemic, those flights are expected to be full. Australia, China, the United States, Singapore and Fiji are the most popular destinations for international passengers passing through the airport, while the top destinations for domestic travellers are Christchurch, Wellington, Queenstown, Dunedin and Nelson.<br/>