Air New Zealand : New Zealand announces flights to bring Kiwis home from NSW

Flights available with Air New Zealand can be booked via www.airnewzealand.co.nz from 10.00am on Monday 12 July. Additional information for booking with Air New Zealand can be found on the airline's Travel Alerts page.

Managed return flights from Sydney will be available from Tuesday 13 July and will operate to Auckland and Christchurch only. On arrival, travelers will go into MIQ. Seats available will depend on MIQ availability.

Eligible Air New Zealand customers in NSW are encouraged to follow the steps below:

For a standard booking:

• Check Air New Zealand's website to book managed return seats
• Once customers have secured a flight booking, their MIQ space is automatically confirmed. There is no need to book a place in a managed isolation facility before booking with Air New Zealand as managed isolation bookings are automatically assigned to a customer's flight
• If unsuccessful, keep checking back online for available flights
• As more MIQ allocations are provided, more corresponding seats will be made available for booking
• Stay updated on the latest travel requirements via the COVID-19 website before attempting to book travel.

For compassionate consideration:

• The New Zealand Government is managing compassionate requests for returning travellers
• If customers wish to apply for a compassionate ticket on the basis of urgent and exceptional circumstances, they will need to contact the Government directly on [phone] or [e-mail].

Air New Zealand's Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said that while the airline is doing all it can to facilitate the return of Kiwis home from NSW, not everyone will be able to travel immediately.

'We would love to be able to bring more Kiwis home to their families, but we're limited by the availability of MIQ spots. Only between 40-60 seats per flight will be available to be booked by customers as these are directly linked to MIQ spots.

'Flights will be available on a first in, first served basis. Around 20% of all available MIQ spots will be reserved for compassionate grounds which will be managed by the Government.

'Our teams have worked tirelessly with the Government over the weekend to get these managed return flights up and running so we can reconnect Kiwis with their loved ones. We recognise this is a very stressful and emotional time for those customers wishing to return from NSW, and we're doing everything we can to get them home as quickly and as safely as possible.'