Auckland Airport total passenger volumes were down 42% in March compared to the same period the year prior.
March saw a total 1,084,588 passengers through the Auckland terminal compared to 1,869,312 in March 2019.
International passengers (excluding transits) were down 43.2%, transit passengers were down 49.5% and domestic passengers were down by 40.1%.
The decline in passengers for March reflects the impact of further travel restrictions imposed by the Government on March 14 requiring all passengers arriving into New Zealand to self-isolate for 14 days.
This was followed by the closure of the New Zealand border from March 20 to all but New Zealand citizens and permanent residents and New Zealand entering Alert Level 4 lockdown on March 26.
Auckland Airport is expecting “significantly greater” COVID-19 impacts in April die to the alert level 4 lockdown period.
Meanwhile, February numbers reflect the initial impact of COVID-19 on New Zealand’s travel and tourism industry.
Total passenger volumes were down 8.6% with 1,598,389 in February compared to 1,749,420 the year prior.
International passengers (excluding transits) were down 8.4% in February, transit passengers were down 25.3% and domestic passengers were down by 7.3%.
It follows travel restrictions set by the New Zealand Government on February 2 on foreign nationals travelling or transiting to and from mainland China.
Cargo
Total cargo volume was up 7.6% in February with 15,145 tonnes compared to 14,071 tonnes the same period the previous year.
International export cargo was up 14% with 8,532 tonnes and international import cargo up 0.4% with 6,613 tonnes.
Total cargo value in February was up 7.4% to $1.7 billion.
