April 2025 Monthly traffic update

15/05/2025 08:30 NZST, GENERAL

April 2025 Monthly traffic update

Key points:

• In April 2025, there was a total of 839k international passenger movements in the month, a 3% increase compared to the same month in 2024. International passenger movements, excluding transits, for the month of April 2025 increased by 5%. International seat capacity decreased by 2% for the same month resulting in average load factors of 85.5%, a 4.1 percentage point improvement on the year prior;

• Reviewing the five largest nationalities for non-transit international passengers showed that New Zealanders made up 48% of international passenger movements and volume increasing 5% on prior year, 1% ahead of April 2019 (the last time school holidays and public holidays all aligned). Australian nationals increased by 12% on the prior year with the strength partially attributable to the timing of school holidays. Chinese nationals increased by 2%, USA nationals increased by 13% with UK nationals increasing by 4%;

• Load factors across the Tasman were elevated for the month at 91% a 4.2 percentage point improvement on the prior year. Long-haul international load factors improved by 3.1 percentage points to 82% and the Pacific Island routes also improved by 5.5 percentage points to 81%;

• Domestic passenger movements decreased 2% in the month of April 2025 when compared to the same month in the prior year, with seat capacity decreasing 1%, resulting in domestic load factors declining by 1.5 percentage points to 84%. Domestic trunk passenger movements were flat year on year on 1% more seats resulting in load factors declining slightly to 86%; and

• Queenstown Airport international passenger numbers in April 2025 increased 23% on the year prior and domestic passengers were flat on the same month last year.