Source: Radio New Zealand
Hamilton is proving to be a popular spot to fly into, airlines say. Supplied
Hamilton airport expects to wrap up end the this year with its busiest ever month, after a new daily Jetstar jet service between Hamilton and Christchurch started on 1 December 2025.
Air New Zealand returned a jet service along the same route in September, and the airport began welcoming international flights in July, making it a year of aggressive growth.
Added together it expected about 60 percent more travellers through the airport in December 2025 when compared to 2024.
Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said the jet services had added 70 percent capacity to the Hamilton-Christchurch route alone (the airport also had flights between Wellington and Hamilton) and had been great for consumers.
“It’s been very successful for us and I think what the low cost carrier option of Jetstar introduces is it brings people back into the market that perhaps were finding the regional domestic airfares quite expensive,” he said.
This was bringing back consumers who had not been actively travelling because of the cost of domestic airfares.
More competition and options on a route also influenced prices, softening airfares.
“The airlines have more seats to fill, that provides more low-cost fares with Jetstar and perhaps more competitive fares with Air New Zealand,” Morgan said.
When international flights returned to the city in July, it was seen as signalling Waikato as a region of growth.
Jetstar Airways chief operating officer Matt Franzi said demand had been strong on both sides of the Tasman and the company was thrilled with how the first six months had gone on the Hamilton-Sydney and Hamilton-Gold Coast flights.
“It’s clear Kiwi travellers love having more low fares and more choice for international flights out of Hamilton,” he said.
Travellers arriving into the country were also taking full advantage of the new flights.
Hobbiton Movie Set’s general manager of tourism, Shayne Forrest said some travellers were now visiting the Waikato attraction within hours of landing in the country.
“It’s been fantastic to have visitors travelling from Australia be able to arrive straight into the Waikato. When travellers arrive at Hamilton Airport, they are just a short drive away from a variety of adventures the Waikato offers, with our slice of real Middle-earth just 30 minutes away,” he said.
Hamilton airport had to create a new international border for New Zealand for international flights to return. That infrastructure then allowed the jet services to begin, as it included aviation security services and passenger screening facilities.
Franzi said Jetstar appreciated its partnership with Hamilton Airport.
“It’s been great working together to make trans-Tasman travel easier and more affordable for our customers, and we look forward to exploring new opportunities in the future.”
Morgan said the routes have outperformed expectations and the airport had an aggressive growth strategy going forward.
“Our customers have responded very, very strongly to the international routes and we’ve seen record passenger numbers coming through the airport because of that,” he said.
The airport was planning to conduct in depth research in 2026, but Morgan said anecdotally passengers were coming from all over the region, and further afield, to take advantage of the flights.
“Feedback is that the catchment is as wide as we had hoped, so strong support from the Bay of Plenty, from as far south as New Plymouth and as far east as the Hawkes Bay,” he said.
“All in all, we couldn’t really be more delighted.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
