Auckland Airport Reopens To Tourists From More Than 50 Countries

2022-04-29

We are looking forward to welcoming media to the international terminal on Monday 2 May when we will welcome the first visitors from visa waiver countries.

Media are encouraged to visit the airport between 5:45am and 6:45am, when the first flights from Los Angeles, Perth, and San Francisco arrive. New Zealand's unique culture and manaakitanga will be on display at Auckland Airport with the first arrivals receiving a special welcome.

Whaea Dolly Paul will be welcoming visitors with a karanga at the international terminal public arrivals area following the arrival of flight NZ5 from Los Angeles at 5:45am, NZ176 from Perth arrives at 6am and NZ7 from San Francisco at 6:10am.

Note: Whaea Dolly’s karanga will be familiar to many who have travelled through Auckland Airport before, as it is currently played as visitors walk through the carved arch airside upon arriving in New Zealand. See attached image.

Haka the Legend will be performing a variety of waiata (songs).

Hon Stuart Nash, Minister of Tourism, will be available for interviews from 6am to 7:30am at the international terminal arrivals area. (Contact is Kathryn Street, 021 803707)

Auckland Airport Chief Executive, Carrie Hurihanganui, will be available for interviews from 5.45am to 7am at the international terminal arrivals area. Please contact Libby Middlebrook (details at end) if you want to arrange an interview time.

Auckland Airport will be welcoming international travellers back to New Zealand with the words ‘Kia Ora’ to be painted on the grass at the southern end of the runway over the weekend (weather permitting). Drone vision and still images will be available on Sunday night or Monday morning. (please email Libby to access vision)

To mark New Zealand’s border reopening, on Monday afternoon a video will be released globally to welcome travellers back to New Zealand, featuring Whaea Dolly’s karanga and beautiful New Zealand landscapes. The video is being produced in partnership between Tourism New Zealand and Auckland Airport.

Newshub will be filming the first arriving flights airside on Monday 2 May, with the vision to be syndicated to NZ media. To access vision please contact: mex@discovery.com or phone 09 928 9050.

Supporting media information:

On Monday 2 May, Auckland Airport will be open to 88% of pre-Covid markets.
On Monday 2 May, 43 international flights are expected to arrive and depart AKL, carrying an estimated 9,000 passengers.
In January/February this year, there were 12 passenger airlines operating to 20 destinations to and from Auckland Airport.
By July, Auckland Airport expects there will be 17 passenger airlines operating to 31 destinations to and from Auckland Airport.
According to Stats NZ, international demand for the month of April recovered to 25% when compared to April 2019.