Auckland Airport reveals busiest days of the holiday season

Author: Grant Bradley, NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2017, 3:58PM

Auckland Airport is warning passengers on international flights during the summer peak to allow an extra 30 minutes for their journey through the terminal building.

The airport says the number of passengers will be 6 per cent higher than last year when at times there was severe congestion. However, the airport says new building work and systems were aimed at avoiding a repeat of last summer when at times passengers and crew missed some flights at times road traffic was at its worst.

Air New Zealand has already advised domestic passengers to consider travel insurance just in case of hold-ups and missed flights.

Anil Varma, Auckland Airport's acting general manager – aeronautical operations, said December and January were the busiest months of the year at the international terminal.

''This year we are expecting around 162 international flights every day, with international passenger numbers expected to be approximately 6 per cent higher than last summer. We are also expecting an average of around 37,500 passengers to use the international terminal on each of our 10 busiest days this summer."

Varma advised passengers to rethink routines.

"Just like last year, we recommend everyone allows an extra 30 minutes for travel through the international terminal over the next couple of months. This will help ensure they have a more relaxed journey. They should also give themselves extra time to travel to and from the airport, given the high level of roadworks happening around the Auckland region again this summer."

Auckland Airport had worked ''extensively'' with stakeholders at the airport, including both the airlines and joint border agencies, to ensure the airport could operate efficiently and effectively during the busy summer period.

"We thank everyone in advance for their understanding and support during our busiest time of the year," said Varma.

Throughout the year Auckland Airport has invested more than $1 million every working day to make improvements to help support the growth in international passengers and aircraft.