Auckland Airport’s international visitor numbers up in recent months
Tuesday, 19 May 2026
The escalation of fuel prices caused by the Middle East conflict is the latest “damn thing” to hit the global travel industry, but traveller demand is holding up, Auckland Airport says.
At its annual tourism forum held the day before TRENZ, New Zealand tourism’s biggest annual event, kicked off in Auckland, the airport’s representatives addressed the impact of the fuel crisis directly.
Scott Tasker, Auckland Airport’s chief customer officer, said the effective doubling in the price of jet fuel was a major issue for those running an airline as fuel was 30% to 40% of an airline’s cost base.
To date the impacts on airlines had varied on an airline-by-airline basis, based on factors, including their geographic location, and fuel price hedging strategies going into the crisis, he said.
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“Airlines have responded by trimming capacity and, with fuel surcharges, increased fares, or they have perhaps stopped selling some of their cheaper air types.
“What we have not seen is the wholesale cutting of capacity, and in fact in March and April, the two months impacted so far, capacity was up 1% year-on-year on the international side, and up 3% on the domestic side.”
Passenger demand held up well, with international passengers over those two months up on the same time last year by 4% and domestic up 3%, and load factors were also robust, he said.
“We are starting to observe a bit of a moderation in the jet fuel price, although it is still 71% higher than pre-war, and the gap between the jet fuel price and the crude oil prices starting to narrow.
“So that's positive, but we're still a long way to go from normalising to jet fuel prices of 100 US dollars or less per barrel here in New Zealand.”
There was uncertainty looking forward, and the airport was watching closely to see what happened next with airlines thinking on capacity, and what routes and aircraft they might operate globally over the next summer peak season, Tasker said.
“The global airport slot process is getting underway as normal for the Northern Winter 2026 season, which is this coming summer. However, we do have to be realistic.
“If escalating fuel prices continue, we may see airlines continue their current mitigations to trim capacity, to consolidate flights nearer to departure and to maintain fuel surcharges and higher airfares in market.”
Auckland Airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said they were closely monitoring the impact of the situation on their global suppliers and the industry.
But what they were hearing from airlines was that they remained optimistic about New Zealand’s appeal as a destination, she said.
“British historian Arnold Toynbee once famously said of history that it's one damn thing after another. As a sector, we are currently dealing with another one of those damn things.
“But the muscle memory for dealing with disruption and crisis is still very strong across the sector, and unlike during the pandemic, airlines are for the most part continuing to operate, albeit with some reduction and consolidation in routes.
“Overall customers are still travelling, and confidence across the sector is still holding.”
In March and April 1.77 million international travellers went through Auckland Airport, up 4% on March and April 2025, and load factors were up 3 percentage points to 86% on the same months last year, she said.
“Those two months saw 27% more Chinese, 8% more US, and 4% more Australian travellers through the airport, and it is evidence that New Zealand is still a desirable place to visit.”
She was not going to be a Pollyanna about it, and acknowledged the confidence to travel would be impacted if prices kept increasing as seen in recent times, she said.
“My sense is that both the aviation sector and travellers themselves are far more resilient now when it comes to travel than they were five to six years ago.
“Now I see an underlying determination to carry on carrying on, and to keep perspective as a sector, but that we prepare appropriately, and that we do avoid unnecessary alarm.”
Hurihanganui said it was necessary to focus on what they could control, and in line with Auckland Airport’s role as a national gateway it was focused on coordination, communication, and supporting the stability of the wider national and international travel system.
“Looking through the noise that might be in our news and social feeds, the fact is that New Zealand remains appealing, it is open, connected, and ready to welcome visitors.”
The airport’s ongoing expansion project, alongside the investment in projects like the CRL, the NZICC, waterfront development, and new and upgraded hotels, was making Auckland a city that could welcome more visitors while staying vibrant and liveable for locals, she said.