Updates

Update on Friday 12 June 2026

Please attribute to Air New Zealand Chief Operations Officer - Ground and Inflight, Kate Boyer:

Air New Zealand is aware of a fire incident at Wellington Airport this evening. The safety of our customers and team is our first priority, and we are following the direction of emergency services and Wellington Airport.

Air New Zealand flights in and out of Wellington are currently being held until further notice. Customers travelling this evening should check the Air New Zealand app for the latest information on their flight.

Flexibility has been added for customers booked to travel on flights in and out of Wellington this evening giving them the ability to change their flights free of charge to another time that suits them. Where possible, we encourage customers to self-serve via the app and defer their travel.

We are working to support customers whose flights have been impacted as quickly as possible.

Update on Saturday 13 June 8am

Please attribute to Air New Zealand Chief Operations Officer - Ground and Inflight, Kate Boyer:

Our teams have worked hard to support customers who were impacted by the flight disruptions in Wellington last night, and we thank everyone for their patience and cooperation.

We expect services in and out of Wellington to operate as scheduled today, with the exception of our first flight out at 6am, which was cancelled. Customers booked on this service have been reaccommodated on the next available flight.

We are adding additional seats where possible to help accommodate all customers whose travel plans were disrupted last night. Flexibility has also now been added for customers booked on any Wellington flights today, Saturday 13 June, giving them the option to change their flight free of charge to another time that suits them. Where possible, we encourage customers to self-serve via the Air NZ app.

Update on Tuesday 7 April 2026

Please attribute to an Air New Zealand spokesperson:

Due to the ongoing impact of high jet fuel costs, Air New Zealand has made a small number of schedule changes for travel across May and June. These consolidations affect around 4% of flights but only 1% of total passengers due to travel across this period.  We have worked hard to keep disruption to a minimum, with the vast majority of impacted customers still travelling on the same day.  

Affected customers will be notified from 9am Tuesday, with all notifications completed by the end of the week. These changes are relatively small compared to others in the New Zealand market, where some airlines are reducing capacity by more than 10%. 

Like airlines globally, we're experiencing jet fuel prices that are more than double what they would usually be.  This is driving higher costs across the industry, and we've made further increases to some airfares to help manage this. 

We remain focused on keeping New Zealanders connected and maintaining a reliable, fuel-efficient schedule. Customers whose updated flight doesn't suit their plans can choose a refund or credit. If you don't hear from us, your flight is operating as scheduled. 

Update on Thursday 12 March

Please attribute to an Air New Zealand spokesperson:

Like other airlines, Air New Zealand regularly makes changes to our schedule depending on things like seasonality and demand.  With the unprecedented volatility in jet fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East, airlines around the world are adjusting fares and their schedules to help manage the impact of these significantly increased costs. 

To help keep flying as affordable as possible and be as efficient with fuel as we can be, we have consolidated a small number of flights between 16 March and 3 May. The flights represent 5% of our total domestic and international schedule and are mainly in lower-demand or off-peak times. There are just under 44,000 passengers impacted out of the 1.9 million passengers we will fly over this period. Affected customers will be contacted today and will experience minimal disruption, with majority travelling on the same day as their original booking.

We know how important air travel is to New Zealand. In making these schedule changes we have tried to strike a balance between maintaining connectivity to all regions and our ability to reaccommodate passengers close to their original booking. All customers impacted will be reaccommodated, and will be eligible for a refund or credit if they are unable to fly.

Update at 9:00am on Thursday 5 March

Please attribute to Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Digital Officer Jeremy O'Brien

Due to widespread airspace closures and airport shutdowns across parts of the Middle East, some partner airlines operating to or through affected airports, including Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Doha (DOH), are experiencing significant operational disruptions. 

Air New Zealand's own services are not directly impacted. We are closely monitoring the situation. However, we recognise that some customers may wish to reconsider their travel plans or seek alternative routing options. 

We have extended flexibility for customers booked on Air New Zealand-issued tickets through to the Middle East for travel up to and including 20 March 2026, including separate domestic connections within New Zealand.

They can make one date change or reroute to avoid transiting the Middle East before 20 March 2026, with no penalty, service fee or fare difference. Customers who no longer wish to travel can instead hold the full value of their ticket as credit.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep customers updated. Travel advice can be found on the NZ government Safe Travel website.