Air New Zealand is putting bigger aircraft onto three domestic routes

Tuesday, 3 June 2025

Air New Zealand has announced it is going to put bigger aircraft onto three domestic routes.

The national carrier will boost capacity on Auckland–Christchurch, Auckland–Queenstown, and Auckland–Dunedin by “upgauging”, or swapping out, the A320 for the larger A321neo.

The seasonal change will operate on select flights from June 28 to October 25, and will add more than 36,000 seats to the network.

In total 616 flights will be upgauged, and 37 flights added.

Auckland-Queenstown will see the biggest increase in seats, up more than 19,000. It will also get a new flight, with Auckland-Christchurch adding 36 services. Auckland-Dunedin’s extra capacity will occur on big student movement dates, as well as the All Blacks game in Dunedin on July 5 and The Big Sing at the end of August.

Air New Zealand chief commercial officer, Jeremy O’Brien said the aim is to bolster capacity during some of the busier times in winter: “Whether they’re heading back to university, to a special event, or to the slopes this winter, these seats will mean more choice and opportunity to fly and more flexibility to plan travel around the moments that matter.”

He added the extra capacity will help support the regions: “We’re committed to building connectivity - supporting communities, tourism and trade – so more New Zealanders can thrive. That’s a responsibility we carry with pride. Every seat we add is an investment in New Zealand’s future.”

The airline has made headlines recently after it was called out over the price of some of its domestic fares, with one Tauranga man filing a complaint with the Commerce Commission after he said it was cheaper to fly to Los Angeles than from Tauranga to Wellington.

Air NZ’s chief financial officer, Richard Thomson, has previously told Stuff the airline had experienced more cost inflation in the past three years than was typically seen in a decade, with Covid, a weak New Zealand dollar and geopolitics all to blame.

It’s been a big couple of weeks for the airline after it announced the return of jet services between Hamilton and Christchurch, and the arrival of a new Airbus A321neo on Wednesday. ZK-NNH will enter service in a few weeks and will be joined by another Airbus A321neo later in the year, bringing the internationally configured fleet up to nine.