Wellington to Invercargill direct flight cut by Air NZ

Monday, 30 September 2024

Wellington and Invercargill travellers will no longer be able to fly directly between the cities from early next year.

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A direct flight between the capital and the bottom of the South Island has been cut by Air New Zealand, citing a drop in local travellers.

Air New Zealand domestic general manager Scott Carr confirmed the direct flight between Wellington and Invercargill would no longer be offered by Air New Zealand from January.

Instead, travellers would have to fly from each city via Christchurch.

“We will be adding additional flights between Christchurch and Invercargill to ensure there is sufficient capacity.”

The direct flight between Wellington and Invercargill would stop operating from January 19, 2025, he said.

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Carr said the airline was working to re-accommodate people who were already booked to travel on the flight.

He said he understood the change may cause some inconvenience for some travellers, and wanted to assure them Air NZ remained committed to keeping the Southland town connected to the wider flight network, particularly through the Christchurch and Auckland direct flights.

The service had been affected by a loss of domestic demand, he said, which was a response to a “tough economic backdrop”.

Other regional flights across the airline’s network had also been affected, he said, and some aircraft were also out of service due to engine maintenance issues.

“A significant amount of care and planning goes into ensuring our domestic network services communities across the country as well as possible.

The airline currently offers two direct return flights between Wellington and Invercargill daily.

Less domestic travellers influenced the removal of the direct flight, Air New Zealand domestic general manager Scott Carr says. (file)

The flight takes about two hours flying directly. Flights that transfer at Christchurch can have a stopover that takes anything from 35 minutes to about four hours.

Southland Business Chamber chief executive Sheree Carey said, while the chamber understood the challenges Air NZ faced, the news of the direct flight’s removal was disappointing for the community, particularly for the businesses and travellers who relied on the “vital link”.

“Direct flights play a crucial role in fostering connections for business travel, tourism, and personal journeys, and losing this service could impact our local economy and accessibility.”

She said she appreciated the airline’s commitment to its agreement with the region that focused on the long-term growth of air services and air freight, as it was important Southland continued to be promoted as an attractive destination for events and tourism.

“Despite the challenges presented by the discontinuation of this service, we remain optimistic about the future of air travel in Southland.

“It’s essential that we work together to enhance our regional connectivity and explore new opportunities for air services that can support our local economy.”

National MP Penny Simmonds and Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark both say they are disappointed at the removal of the direct Invercargill to Wellington flight by Air New Zealand. (File photo)

Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark said the news of the flight’s removal was disappointing for Invercargill City Council and local businesses.

While MPs and public servants travelling to Invercargill could most likely operate on their own schedules, Clark said he and other Southland public servants were required to be in Wellington at times that suited the majority.

He said it would mean people would most likely have to stay in Wellington overnight if they wanted to get to morning meets in the capital on time.

“That's disappointing. Given the amount of economic development or the economic GDP that comes out of Southland, I would have thought that it was still worth having a direct link.”

Clark said he understood the decreasing number of public servants was behind the flight’s cancellation, meaning other regional flights may soon be on the chopping block.

Invercargill National MP Penny Simmonds said she flew on the direct flight to Wellington at least twice a week, and its upcoming removal was really disappointing.

She said she understood the flights were usually about 80% full, and if there were no additional flights added from Christchurch to Invercargill, she and others would be seriously inconvenienced.

“It's going to mean that people from Invercargill can't do a day trip and get a full day's work in Wellington. The latest we will be able to leave is five o'clock, which means essentially finishing at four.”

She said she flew back to Invercargill Thursday afternoon so she could attend a mayoral forum on Friday, and do things in her electorate.

With the last connecting flight from Christchurch being at 7pm, she would have to leave work at 4pm - which was not possible for her.

“It just is making it really difficult for people to get down to Invercargill. And if it's difficult, people don't do it. So I’m really disappointed in Air New Zealand, I feel like it's a real slap to our region.”

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