Father and daughter Alex and Olivia Schofield, 6, were eagerly waiting for sister and aunty Katie Schofield to arrive from Auckland at 11.15am.
Mr Schofield said it was his turn to host the big family Christmas party this year and there were members from all over New Zealand coming to Dunedin.
It had been about a year since he had seen his sister and Olivia was "super excited" to see her aunty too.
Katrina Roberts, who now lives in Auckland, was returning to Dunedin with her two daughters Ella, 8, and Pippa 9, to spend Christmas with their grandma and attend a wedding.
She said it was nice to be back but the weather was "pretty rubbish".
Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said it had been a big year for the airport with the Gold Coast direct service and it winning medium airport of the year.
Over December and January there will be close to 150,000 passengers travelling on flights into and out of New Zealand.
The airport recommended passengers allow plenty of time for parking and to check in online.
