A record breaking five million passengers passed through Wellington Airport in New Zealand in the past 12 months, representing an increase of 5.2% year-on-year. Wellington is only the second airport in the country to reach the five million mark after Auckland Airport.
The growth has largely been attributed to a 20% increase in international traffic, with more than 900,000 international travelers passing through the airport between August 2015 and August 2016.
Matt Clarke, chief commercial officer, Wellington Airport, said, “Our strongest growth is in Auckland passengers, which is linked to the tourism boom. With more international flights into Auckland, we are seeing more visitors to Wellington connecting from overseas.
“We’re seeing strong regional growth, in particular, Dunedin and Nelson with Jetstar’s new services and additional Sounds Air services. Air New Zealand is also flying larger 50-seater planes into some regional areas.
“Having Singapore Airlines coming into our city will be a game changer for Wellington and for New Zealand as it will supercharge Central New Zealand’s tourism industry.
“Wellington will be the gateway to New Zealand for passengers coming in from Canberra [Australia] and we are already seeing new visitor itineraries on sale around the world with New Zealand adventures starting or ending right here in the capital.”