More than 2.5 million travellers are expected through Auckland Airport this summer in one of its busiest seasons since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The surge between December 8 and January 18 included around 1 million domestic passengers and 1.5 million international travellers.

It marked a 7.5% increase in international travel and a 4.7% rise in domestic travel when compared to last summer.

Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said thousands of Christmas reunions were already underway as people flew home or headed away for the holidays.

“It’s an exciting time at Auckland Airport as families reconnect and visitors arrive for the Kiwi summer,” he said.

“We’ve been working closely with border agencies, airlines and their ground handlers to make sure travellers get away smoothly. It will be busy, so our advice is simple: plan ahead, arrive with plenty of time and pack smart.”

Airlines had added 207,000 extra international seats across the summer months, lifting total capacity to 5.8 million seats across 43 destinations.

This year’s peak season was looking to be longer than last year, he said, stretching from early December through mid-January.

For international departures, the heaviest day was expected to be January 4 with more than 19,500 travellers, followed closely by December 20 and January 3. On the arrivals side, January 15 was tipped to be the busiest with close to 20,000 passengers, with January 4 and December 21 also high on the list.

Domestic travel would see its own crunch points. December 19 and its close to 15,000 passengers was forecast as the top day for departures, with December 21 and December 8 close behind. For arrivals, January 16 led the pack with more than 14,000 travellers, followed by December 8 and December 19.

Task said domestic travel would peak in December as Kiwis head away locally, while international travel will hit its high point in early January.

“Arrivals and departures are generally heaviest from Thursday to Sunday, easing slightly midweek,” he said.

“The busiest days of summer are lining up to be some of the strongest we’ve seen since Covid. It’s a great sign of Kiwis’ confidence to travel and New Zealand’s appeal as a visitor destination.”

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including why the brains behind AI have picked up a major accolade, a huge drug bust seizes 2 tonnes of cocaine, and the days to avoid travelling this holiday season. (Source: 1News)