Invercargill-Auckland jet travel gets off to flying start

Tuesday, 3 December 2019

Invercargill Airport general manager Nigel Finnerty.

The Invercargill-Auckland jet flights have been running at 84-per cent capacity since they began three months ago, mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt says.

Invercargill Airport manager Nigel Finnerty confirmed 'almost all' the seats were full on the five days a week direct flights, with either southerners heading away for business or leisure or northerners heading south.

Fridays and Sundays were generally the most popular fights with people heading either north or south for a long weekend.

The majority of flyers were business travellers but Finnerty said there had been an increase in the number of tourists flying both ways.

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'The flights are fuller coming into Invercargill than departing which could indicate that more people are starting their business or leisure journeys at our place.

'We'll need more time to understand the drivers of this difference.'

Forward bookings for next year were looking positive, Finnerty said.

Southern businesses were making the most of the longer days in Auckland.

'With 11 hours in Auckland they are able to get more done in the day.

'Getting to Auckland in one hop is also a highlight for people travelling.'

The flight opened up Invercargill to New Zealand's biggest city and it opened up the world to Southland, Finnerty said.

'Whilst the flight is still brand new it is going better than expected and all we have to do now is make it so well used that it has to stay.'

The jet flights made a difference to the way staff at the airport worked and the experience passengers had, with the introduction of security screening the biggest change for passengers flying out.

Passengers through Invercargill Airport had grown steadily over the year but there had been a significant upswing since the jets started flying.

'Our numbers have reached 337,081 passenger movements for the year to the end of October which is a 7.8 per cent increase over the same period last year.'