Air New Zealand to Reduce Domestic Capacity by 2%

Air New Zealand announced a 2% reduction in domestic seat capacity between February and June 2025, as part of its response to softening demand and rising operating costs.

The minor schedule adjustments, primarily affecting corporate and government travel routes, will take effect from February 2025. The airline will contact affected customers directly with alternative travel options.

"Like other airlines in Aotearoa, our domestic business continues to be impacted by challenging conditions, including high operating costs and soft domestic demand, particularly across corporate and government customers.," says Air New Zealand General Manager Domestic, Scott Carr.

"These reductions not only allow us to more appropriately respond to the level of demand we are experiencing, but they also give the airline a small amount of resilience to improve recovery options in the event of a flight disruption on our regional network."

The schedule changes will be implemented on December 9, 2024. Customers with affected bookings do not need to contact the airline proactively, as Air New Zealand will reach out with rebooking options.