Air New Zealand has announced it will cut its direct service between Wellington and Invercargill early next year.
In a statement this afternoon, the airline said it was planning to end its direct services between the cities from January 19.
Air New Zealand general manager Domestic Scott Carr said the decision came as the company had seen domestic demand “soften” in response to a “tough economic background”.
He said it was “most evident” across some of the airline’s regional network.
“A significant amount of care and planning goes into ensuring our domestic network services communities across the country as well as possible,” he said.
“To do this, Air New Zealand must also ensure its operations are financially sustainable.”
Carr said Air New Zealand had also seen aircraft “out of service due to global engine maintenance issues”.
He said passengers would still be able to fly from Invercargill to Wellington via Christchurch, and the airline planned to add additional flights between Christchurch and Invercargill “to ensure there is sufficient capacity”.
“We are re-accommodating those who were already booked to travel.
“We know this change may cause inconvenience for some, but we want to assure our customers that we remain committed to connecting Invercargill to our wider network via the direct Christchurch and Auckland services.”