Auckland Airport expects more travellers from China for the Lunar New Year, with two airlines expanding services.

The lunar event starts on Tuesday, February 17, and two weeks of festivities and holidays follow.

Auckland Airport is expecting an 18% increase in Auckland-China seats for the holidays this year.

It said Air China flights to and from Beijing would be more frequent as the fire horse replaced the snake in the lunar calendar.

China Southern was also adding more capacity from Guangzhou.

Lanterns at Yuexiu Park in Guangzhou in preparation for the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse. Photo / Imaginechina via AFP

“We’re seeing more Chinese combining New Zealand with an Australian visit, and more New Zealanders travelling to China,” Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said today.

Auckland-China capacity at the start of this year was at 103% of pre-Covid levels, compared to total international seat capacity at 89% of pre-pandemic rates.

Tasker said a mix of Chinese travellers indicated more balanced demand lately, which helped airlines to plan with confidence.

“While we’re still missing direct capacity from Southeast Asia, the Chinese airport mega-hubs and increased flight frequency between China and Auckland are filling the gap.”

Flight information company OAG listed Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun among its latest top 50 global mega-hubs or best-connected airports.

The airport said the Lunar New Year was a useful bellwether for understanding broader travel demand and helping airlines to make decisions on capacity.

Air China, headquartered in Beijing, planned three more services a week between Auckland and the Chinese capital from January 24 to March 2.

The airport said that equated to a 42% capacity increase.

China Southern, headquartered in Guangzhou, was adding more than 30 return flights to its New Zealand summer schedule.

“It has also upgauged its aircraft from a 296-seat Boeing 787-9 to the larger 360-seat Boeing 777-300ER for the summer months,” the airport said.

China Southern planned to fly 10 times a week between the end of March and late October, up by a third on winter last year and back to pre-Covid winter flight frequency.

The airport said direct travel demand between China and Auckland had already strengthened this southern summer.

It said total traveller volumes on China-Auckland direct services across November and December were up 10% compared to the same time a year before.

Average aircraft load factors were about 91%, which the airport said reflected improved route performance and more consistent seasonal demand.

Passenger load factor is the percentage of available seating capacity filled with passengers.

The world average global load factor in November was 84% for international flights, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Auckland Airport said simplified document translation requirements and electronic transit visas for Chinese nationals supported travel demand.

Since November, Chinese tourists have been allowed to travel visa-free to New Zealand through Australia.

Previously, those travellers had to ask for a visitor visa costing $441.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said last year that up to 50,000 extra visitors might arrive each year on holiday via Australia through those changes.

The airport said visa changes helped to drive a 44% year-on-year increase in Chinese nationals travelling between Australia and Auckland during November and December.

It said almost 23,000 Chinese travellers used that route.

China introduced visa-free travel for New Zealanders in mid-2024.

Auckland’s other flights to China include services with Air New Zealand to Shanghai, China Eastern to Shanghai, and Hainan Airlines to Shenzhen in southeast China and Haikou on Hainan island.

The airport said Auckland-China services averaged 35 flights a week.

Cargo

Cargo freight with Singapore Airlines at Auckland Airport.

Tasker said the extra China flights would also boost trade, with more aircraft bringing more cargo capacity.

He said that was helpful during New Zealand’s summer horticultural export season.

“Cherries are a great example. They’re in peak season here in January and early February and are especially popular around Lunar New Year because the red colour symbolises good luck and prosperity.”

China Southern Cargo had a dedicated freighter two or three times a week, flying Guangzhou-Sydney-Auckland-Guangzhou.

The airport said that flight involved a Boeing 777 with more than 90 tonnes of cargo capacity in the first scheduled freighter service between China and New Zealand.

John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and courts. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.