September 2026 Monthly traffic update

15/10/2026 08:31 NZDT, GENERAL

Key points:

• Total passenger movements in September 2026 were down 4% on the prior year largely reflecting a reduction in domestic activity in the month and the timing of the New Zealand September school holidays which started a week later this year;

• Total international passenger movements for September of 828k were in line with the same month in 2025 with international seat capacity also in line with the same month last year, resulting in average load factors of 83%, a 0.2 percentage point decrease;

• A review of the top five nationalities among non-transit international passenger movements compared with the prior year shows that Chinese nationals increased by 12%, US nationals increased by 9%, Australian nationals increased by 1%, Indian nationals decreased by 4%, and New Zealand nationals decreased by 6%;

• Passenger movements on short-haul international routes increased by 1%, while seat capacity increased by 3% compared with the prior year, resulting in average load factors of 82%, a 1.8 percentage point decrease. Passenger movements on long-haul international routes decreased by 2%, while seat capacity decreased by 4% compared with the prior year, resulting in average load factors of 85%, a 2.1 percentage point increase;

• Domestic passenger movements were down on the prior year, reflecting the continued effects of capacity reductions during the month. Passenger movements in September decreased by 7% compared with the same month last year, and seat capacity also declined by 7% over the same period, resulting in average load factors of 86%, a 0.5 percentage point decrease year-on-year. Passenger movements on domestic trunk routes decreased by 7%, while seat capacity declined by 6%, resulting in average load factors of 87%, a 0.5 percentage point decrease. Regional passenger movements declined by 9%, and seat capacity also declined by 9%, resulting in average load factors of 83%, a 0.4 percentage point decrease; and

• Queenstown Airport passenger movements increased by 7% in September compared with the same month last year, with international movements up 19% and domestic movements down 1%.