After 246 days since the travel bubble paused, Air New Zealand is thrilled to be bringing New Zealand citizens and permanent residents home from Australia to reconnect with their friends and whānau once again.
The airline has five flights arriving from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, with the first service arriving from Sydney into Auckland at 5:15pm this afternoon.
"Emotions will be running high today as New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who have been waiting to come home from Aussie board their flight," says Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty.
"Having the certainty they will be touching down on home soil and reuniting with friends and whĬÅnau in just a few short hours will come as a relief.
"This day signals the first step in reconnecting New Zealand with the world. We are incredibly humbled to play a small part in such a special day for many Kiwis and look forward to reuniting more families with Aotearoa over the coming months.
"We expect to have more than 300 flights available between New Zealand and Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast for the month of March alone. Once we have a clearer view as to the level of demand, we will adjust the schedule accordingly, but we're confident there will be seats available."
In line with the Government’s requirements, all customers will need to provide evidence of a negative PCR test 48 hours before departure or a supervised RAT or LAMP test 24 hours before departure and must complete a period of home isolation upon arrival into New Zealand.
The airline’s international vaccination policy came into effect on 1 February with all passengers travelling on Air New Zealand’s international network now required to show proof of full vaccination.
The easiest way for eligible customers to do this is by securely sharing their vaccination status and test results with Air New Zealand using the IATA Travel Pass app. The app will also guide travellers through what they need to know and do before departure.
"We’ve kept our operation ready for this. In the last few months, it’s been great to bring back some of our pilots, with some cabin crew returning to training from today, as we anticipate a return to global travel. We’re looking forward to welcoming the tens of thousands of Kiwis who will be making plans to board our aircraft soon."
Those wanting to book to travel can do so now via the Air New Zealand website where customers with credits can also use them as a form of payment, or through their preferred travel agent.
