Air New Zealand is adjusting some regional services to better reflect passenger demand.
From February the airline will boost capacity between Auckland and Rotorua by 30 per cent with the introduction of a Q300 on the route. The 50-seat aircraft replaces the 19-seat Beech 1900D on weekday morning services.
The recent introduction of new ATR72-600s into the domestic network has enabled the airline to free up Q300 capacity to apply to the Auckland-Rotorua route.
“The cost advantage of operating larger Q300 aircraft over the smaller Beech 1900Ds increases the economic viability of the route and means customers will benefit from significantly more seats being available at the lead in fare level of $79 one-way,” Air New Zealand said.
Meanwhile, the airline will withdraw from two loss making regional services.
From February Masterton will no longer be served. Air New Zealand has operated a Beech 1900D service between Masterton and Auckland since 2009, however, “lack of demand combined with increased operating costs mean the route is no longer economically viable”.
In addition to this, the airline will withdraw its five times a week service between Wanganui and Wellington from December this year. Air New Zealand has blamed Increased costs including airport landing charges for the route’s lack of viability.
