Aviation publication Simple Flying reports that Air New Zealand has released an operational update, showing an increase of 5 603% in the number of passengers carried in April 2021 compared with April 2020.
Air New Zealand said it carried 866 000 passengers in April 2021, compared with 15 000 passengers in April 2020.
Some of the increase can be attributed to the ‘bubble effect’. A trans-Tasman travel bubble was created between New Zealand and its biggest market, Australia, on April 19. In this important trans-Tasman market, the carrier flew 51 000 passengers in April, a 3 188% increase on the 2 000 passengers carried in April 2020.
It is a startling illustration of the hole in which airlines find themselves that despite this 3 188% increase, the trans-Tasman route only showed an average load factor of 45,1% on these services, slightly more than half the normal trans-Tasman load factors of around 81,5% (such as in April 2019).
