News
Air New Zealand to cut more flights from August to October
May 28th 2026
Following the announcement in early May that it would be cutting 5% of its lights, Air New Zealand (Air NZ) announced further operational reductions over a three-month period from August to October. Read More » “Taking this approach now gives customers as much certainty as possible ahead of their travel, rather than making changes closer to departure,” a spokesperson told Radio New Zealand (RNZ). Air NZ said less than 2% of customers traveling during this time will be affected, with the “vast majority” of those impacted still able to travel on the same day. “It’s not unexpected, but yeah, it is another blow,” New Zealand Airports Association chief executive Billie Moore told RNZ. “The issue isn’t necessarily the call to shave roots at this point with the fuel price, it’s the base on which that shaving is happening. We’ve been in decline for many years now, and for regional capacity, compared to 2019, the decline is closer to 27%. So quite a chunk of connectivity coming out of the market over that period of time, which really does hurt,” she commented. Moore said that for regional flights, there had been a capacity decline of about 10% in 12 months, and added that despite assurances from the national carrier, regional airports were feeling anxious over the prospect that cuts could become permanent.
