Air New Zealand says it will add more seats to flights departing Auckland to three domestic destinations this winter.

The airline said it would add 36,000 seats on flights to Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Some of these routes will use Airbus A321s from June 28 to October 25, instead of Airbus A320s.

The newer A321 has more passenger and cargo capacity than the smaller model.

Domestic airfares have faced scrutiny in recent weeks with Consumer NZ saying a market study was long overdue.

Air New Zealand today said the extra seats on the A321 followed last week’s launch of a new jet service between Hamilton and Christchurch.

Some Auckland to Dunedin flights will also “upgauge” or use larger aircraft for what the airline called key “student movement dates” and for the July 5 All Blacks-France test.

The University of Otago’s second semester begins on July 14, then takes a break on August 30 and resumes on September 8.

Another “upgauge” will be applied to Dunedin flights for the Big Sing, a national secondary schools choral festival, in late August.

“This isn’t just about adding flights, it’s about supporting our regions,” Air NZ chief commercial officer Jeremy O’Brien said today.