Dunedin Airport was chocker with families reuniting for the holidays on its busiest day of the year yesterday.<\/p>\n
Father and daughter Alex and Olivia Schofield, 6, were eagerly waiting for sister and aunty Katie Schofield to arrive from Auckland at 11.15am.<\/p>\n
Mr Schofield said it was his turn to host the big family Christmas party this year and there were members from all over New Zealand coming to Dunedin.<\/p>\n
It had been about a year since he had seen his sister and Olivia was “super excited” to see her aunty too.<\/p>\n
Katrina Roberts, who now lives in Auckland, was returning to Dunedin with her two daughters Ella, 8, and Pippa 9, to spend Christmas with their grandma and attend a wedding.<\/p>\n
She said it was nice to be back but the weather was “pretty rubbish”.<\/p>\n
Although it was not great in Auckland either, she said.<\/p>\n
Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said it had been a big year for the airport with the Gold Coast direct service and it winning medium airport of the year.<\/p>\n
Over December and January there will be close to 150,000 passengers travelling on flights into and out of New Zealand.<\/p>\n
The airport recommended passengers allow plenty of time for parking and to check in online.<\/p>\n