Air New Zealand adds routes to ‘Level 2’ network

An Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200ER at Sydney Airport. (Rob Finlayson) — An Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200ER. (Rob Finlayson)

Air New Zealand has announced it will operate seven additional routes when the country’s coronavirus restrictions are lowered over the coming days.

The new flights, including Christchurch to Hamilton, are over and above the 25 routes previously announced by the airline on Friday.

On Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the country is moving from so-called Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2 this week, including re-opening cafes and restaurants on Thursday and schools from next Monday.

The new services are Auckland to Blenheim, Dunedin and Rotorua; Christchurch to Hamilton, Hokitika and Tauranga; and Wellington to Dunedin. An updated network is published at the bottom of this article.

Australian Aviation has already reported how Air New Zealand aims to return flights to the majority of the country’s domestic airports over the coming weeks.

Chief executive Greg Foran said the business plans to operate at around 20 per cent of its usual capacity, but would not be able to offer cheap fares because of social distancing requirements.

He also warned that, even when all restrictions are eventually lifted, it will be a “slow journey” back to pre-coronavirus frequencies.

“This is the harsh reality of closed international borders and a depressed domestic economy, with more Kiwis in unemployment and people watching what they spend,” Foran said.