Auckland Airport expects Chinese New Year travel spike

By Andrew Curran.

Auckland Airport says the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year period will see some airlines increase capacity to the airport.

Six airlines - Air China, Air New Zealand, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines, operate scheduled passenger services between Auckland and eight cities in Mainland China

These six airlines typically average 35 flights per week over the year, but this will spike 18% across January and February.

Auckland Airport gears up for increase flights and passenger traffic

This year, the Chinese Lunar New Year falls on February 17. This date signals the start of the biggest holiday in the Chinese calendar, culminating in the Lantern Festival on March 3. More than nine billion passenger trips across all transport modes are expected to be made over the period.

In a typical week at Auckland Airport, kiwi carrier Air New Zealand flies between Auckland (AKL) and Shanghai (PVG) while Air China links Auckland with Beijing (PEK). China Eastern Airlines jets between Auckland and Shanghai, Auckland and Hangzhou (HGH). 

Sichuan Airlines flies between Auckland and Chengdu (TFU). China Southern Airlines services the Auckland – Guangzhou (CAN) route, and Hainan Airlines flies between Auckland and Shenzhen (SZX).

However, between January 24 and March 2, Air China will increase its seven weekly Beijing  – Auckland round-trips to ten per week. China Southern Airlines, which currently flies double dailies between Guangzhou (CAN) and Auckland, will temporarily up-size its operating aircraft from 296-passenger B787-9s to 360-passenger B777-300ERs.

“We work closely with our airline partners to support their growth plans and make sure AKL is ready for both peak periods and longer-term network development, said Auckland Airport Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker.

China becomes an important market for New Zealand

Capacity on the New Zealand – China country-pair has recovered to 103% of pre-Covid levels, ahead of Auckland Airport’s total international seat recovery (which stood at 89% as of December 31, 2025).

China is New Zealand’s third largest bi-directional travel market, with 411,000 passenger movements in the 12 months to October 31, 2025. There is a large Chinese diaspora in New Zealand. The China-bound market is mainly driven by travellers visiting friends and relatives. Coming to New Zealand in 2025, 63% of inbound Chinese visitors were free independent travellers, 18% group travellers and 19% on business visas.

Recent changes to visa settings made by the New Zealand Government such as simplified document translation requirements and electronic transit visas for Chinese nationals have also accelerated travel demand between China and New Zealand. In the opposite direction, China introduced visa-free travel for New Zealand passport-holders midway through 2024, reducing barriers for outbound travel.

“It’s not just direct flights picking up,” continued Tasker. “We’re seeing more Chinese combining New Zealand with an Australian visit and more New Zealanders travelling to China.”

“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. Overall, that mix tells you the demand is becoming more balanced, which helps airlines plan with a bit more confidence.”

An opportunity for cargo

Tasker adds that China-bound aircraft also do plenty of business ferrying high-value fresh produce to China (and elsewhere in Asia) at this time of the year.

While passenger aircraft provide the bulk of the cargo capacity, China Southern Cargo has been operating a dedicated B777 freighter through Auckland two to three times a week, flying a Guangzhou-Sydney-Auckland-Guangzhou route since July 2025.

“It’s a service that fills a freight capacity gap in the Oceania region, shortening the transportation time between New Zealand and China’s Greater Bay Area,” said Tasker.

Photo: AI-Generated.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com