Yesterday (Saturday May 16) the Southern Lakes region and North Island were connected by air once more when Air New Zealand flight NZ1209 from Auckland touched down at Queenstown Airport at 2:13 pm.

On Thursday, as New Zealand transitioned to alert level two, Queenstown Airport welcomed back its first domestic service from Christchurch after 43 days without a scheduled flight.

“We were thrilled to welcome domestic scheduled flights back to Queenstown Airport this week and the first flight from Auckland today,” Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) chief executive Colin Keel said.

Colin said while it has been a very challenging few months for everyone, given the significant impact of COVID-19 on the aviation and tourism sectors as well as the broader regional economy, the local airport community remains strong, committed and resilient.

“Bringing back domestic air travel to the area is a welcome step forward to recovery,” he said, adding it was heartening to hear from locals and domestic visitors that the alert level two health and safety protocols are working well.

Queenstown Airport is a member of the New Zealand Aviation Coalition and has been working with other airports, airlines and government departments to ensure there are consistent health and safety protocols and processes in place to facilitate domestic air travel across the country.

The airport is also part of a wider group working with the governments on both sides of the Tasman to reopen the border between New Zealand and Australia.

Air New Zealand’s head of tourism and regional affairs Reuben Levermore said it’s great to be flying into Queenstown again. 

“We feel the pain that the tourism industry is going through at present, and the best thing we can do is to help get the country moving again. While we aren’t yet in a position to offer as many seats as we’d like, we will be building back our schedule in response to demand, and continuing to work alongside our partners in Queenstown and the wider region including Queenstown Airport, regional tourism organisations, and chambers of commerce to support winter tourism and the broader economic recovery.”

At alert level two access to the airport’s terminal building is restricted to ticketed travellers and airport staff. The airport’s international terminal remains closed until trans-Tasman flights resume.

For updated information about travel at Queenstown Airport under alert level two visit the airport website.

PHOTO: Supplied