Air NZ reports first significant traffic growth in more than year

Air New Zealand saw its April passenger traffic grow for the first time in more than a year, aided by significant increases in its short-haul international and domestic operations. For the month, the carrier flew 866,000 passengers, a 56-fold increase year on year. At the group level, traffic jumped nearly nine times, while capacity more than trebled compared to 2020 levels. Domestic passenger numbers grew more than 90-fold to 811,000, as the country reopened after being locked down last year to curb the spread of the pandemic. RPKs on the domestic network also grew at similar levels, while capacity saw a near-nine-fold increase year on year. Meanwhile, the launch of the travel bubble arrangement between Australia and New Zealand in mid-April has provided a fillip for its trans-Tasman passenger numbers. The carrier flew 51,000 passengers on trans-Tasman and Pacific flights, a 30-fold jump year on year. RPKs for the sector leapt about 49 times, while capacity saw a five-fold jump year on year. Air New Zealand’s long-haul operations still remain at woefully low levels in April, as border closures and travel restrictions remained in force. <br/>