Queenstown Airport is warming up for the winter rush, its interim CEO Todd Grace says.

Australian families have begun flying in for their school holidays this week, while the Matariki public holiday today (Friday June 20) and Mardi Gras Queenstown tomorrow (Saturday June 21) have also boosted passenger numbers.

Another surge is expected when New Zealand school holidays begin at the end of the month.

The Winter Pride event, starting on August 15, and the Snow Machine festival, early in September, will also bring extra visitors to Queenstown Lakes.

“We’re always excited to welcome visitors for their winter holidays,” Todd said.

“It will be snug in the terminal, but our operations team is well drilled, and the buzz these peak-season travellers bring is a real boost for the region.”

There will be an average of 65 flights a day between July 5 and August 31.

Last year, the airport recorded 235,000 passenger movements in each of July and August, and 210,000 in September.

This year it expects about 248,000 passenger movements in the months of July and August, and about 226,000 in September.

Air New Zealand recently announced it will switch from the Airbus A320 to the larger A321neo aircraft on the Auckland-Queenstown route from July to November, and it will also add one flight, increasing capacity by a total of more than 19,400 seats.

The Australian airlines have also added extra flights for winter.

The busiest day is likely to be July 20, when more than 5,000 passenger movements are expected. The final day of Winter Pride, August 24, will also be a big day.

PHOTO: Supplied