There will be 64 Air NZ flights at Dunedin Airport wiped over the next six weeks in response to what has been described as the ‘‘second-biggest hit’’ to the airline sector in recent memory.
In Queenstown, just 22 flights will be canned over the period. The airport averages more than 1500 flights a month so the impact is minimal.
Air NZ chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar said yesterday the airline would cancel about 1100 flights through to the end of next month, affecting about 44,000 passengers. The changes were made in relation to sky-high aviation fuel prices.
The temporary changes amounted to 64 flights over a six-week period, which is roughly 6% of scheduled flights across that timeframe, he said. Changes start on Monday and go through to May 3.
Mr De Bono said the lights would stay on, connectivity would remain and things would keep ticking over at the airport.
‘‘The cost of jet A1 fuel that airlines need to keep the system running has gone up by a massive amount, in some cases sort of double what it was two weeks ago.
‘‘That's not the sort of costs you can just absorb. Covid was definitely the deepest hit to the system, but at this point I would say this is number two.’’
He said the airport stood with the airlines to navigate the weeks ahead.
There were other flights on the same days which passengers could book and that process had already started.
‘‘We're talking about eight less Auckland flights over a six-week period, which is, it's material, but it's not the end of the world. Connectivity remains, and we keep ourselves connected to those other airports.’’
He said there was no fear the canned flights would not return.
‘‘This is very much a short-term thing and, as I've said, I think the next five to six weeks, it's an evolving picture, so it's hard to sort of predict what happens next.’’
‘‘Hopefully as time progresses and the economy returns it picks up, but it’s difficult for people to travel domestically,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s very expensive, especially from the regional airports. I’ve never seen domestic airfares as high as they are now.’’
It was now cheaper to go to Australia that it was to some places in regional New Zealand from Dunedin.
‘‘I’m not blaming the airline for the reality of the situation. It costs a hell of a lot to run an airline and the fuel is going to go through the roof for them.’’
He feared this might be a chance for airlines to cut routes permanently. His advice: book early.
New Zealand was just too small to have a second nationwide carrier, he said.
Ms Barker said it was very disappointing to lose any capacity into Dunedin, especially in peak visitor time.
‘‘Of course I understand why they are doing it, but I am concerned the effect it will have on the city,’’ she said.
‘‘I’ve just had the statistics of the numbers coming through the airport for the month of February, and they were up, they were doing really well. So this is hugely disappointing. This is not a great. It is a terrible impact on our city.
‘‘Our people want to get out and about, too.
‘‘There’s a challenge there for us and that’s part of the work that I want to do is uplift our status as a main centre and get those flights and get that frequency so that we can do a lot more business throughout the country.’’
Invercargill Airport chief executive Stuart Harris said it had lost 16 Christchurch flights and two Auckland flights for the six-week spell. Flights eliminated were off-peak, he said.
He said no one route or city had been picked on and changes were across the country.
Everyone in the country was in the same position, he said.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary said Otago and Dunedin people were already feeling the impacts of more expensive flights and few connections. Now that was about to get worse.
New Zealanders deserved reliable access to the regions. These links were vital for students, families and businesses.
