Marlborough District Council Mayor, Nadine Taylor, is urging airline passengers to be patient following the announcement of a temporary reduction in flights by Air New Zealand today.
The national carrier announced regional route reductions across the network from next week until early May, including flights connecting Marlborough to Wellington and Auckland.
“Air New Zealand and airlines across the world have had to make tough choices because of the current volatility in global jet fuel markets,” Mayor Taylor said.
“I believe Air New Zealand has taken a fair and reasonable approach across the national network to keep the regions connected and air travel accessible. This consolidation takes into account the affordability of airline tickets as well.
“Air New Zealand says it intends to reduce routes to Wellington three times per week, for a total of 28 rotations (inbound and outbound flights), as well as nine rotations in total between Marlborough and Auckland, during the period 16 March to 3 May.
“They are aiming to strike a balance between maintaining connectivity to all regions and to reaccommodate passengers on other flights close to their original booking. They will also focus on lower-demand and mostly off-peak flights.
“Marlborough’s routes are staying largely intact because our flights are generally at over 80 per cent capacity. This demonstrates a high level of support from our community and travellers visiting Marlborough.
“We’ve also seen price increases across other airlines – I hope this reduction in flights is swift and temporary,” she said.
Further information will be available at https://www.marlboroughairport.co.nz/.
