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Air New Zealand’s A320 bound for Rarotonga had no passengers, but some food cargo.
An Air New Zealand flight to Rarotonga took off with no passengers on board, highlighting the challenges airlines face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Air New Zealand’s international network has declined 95 percent from pre-Covid-19 levels and now flies to just 10 overseas destinations, one of which is Rarotonga.
Before Covid-19 Air New Zealand flew multiple services per week to the Pacific Island nation.
Now it flies only one return service per week, even if that means flying a plane without passengers, as was the case on Saturday.
READ MORE: Air New Zealand: Within the Future National Airline
Air New Zealand flight NZ946 took off from Auckland International Airport at 8:50 a.m. to make the 3000-kilometer flight to Rarotonga’s Avarua airport.
Air New Zealand chief operating officer Cam Wallace said 83 passengers were booked to fly in the A320, but that he left with zero passengers on board.
“We have a ‘solid looking’ return sector and some cargo in the warehouse,” Wallace said in a tweet.
An Air New Zealand spokesperson said the flight to Rarotonga was carrying food cargo, but that it had no cargo details for the return leg.
In response to government travel restrictions and low passenger demand as Covid-19 Air New Zealand launched a limited international network last month as of May 31.
On Saturday, the airline said the deadline for its reduced network would be extended by one month until June 30.
Samoa and Tonga do not allow international flights, however, if the restrictions end, Air New Zealand is likely to operate one return service per week from Auckland, he said.
In an email sent to staff Thursday, Chief Executive Greg Foran said Easter is usually one of the busiest times of the year.
But on Good Friday, it flew with fewer than 1,000 passengers, compared to 58,000 the same day in 2019.
“It is a clear reminder of how radically different these days are,” Foran said.
Wallace said that equates to just 19 flights on Good Friday compared to 631 last year.
In response to low passenger demand, Air New Zealand has focused its attention on the cargo revenue offered by charter services both domestically and internationally.
With fewer passengers flying, airlines can put additional cargo in the planes ‘hold, space that previously would have been occupied by passengers’ luggage.
Wallace said Air New Zealand engineers were even toying with the idea of modifying a 777-200 so it could carry more cargo to the passenger deck.
