Air New Zealand is planning to continue the Napier Hawkes Bay Airport (NPE) to Gisborne Airport (GIS) service by another eight weeks. The airline had started the route temporarily after cyclone Gabrielle, as the state highways around Tairāwhiti and Hawkes Bay were shut due to damage.
The airline operated the first flight on the route on February 26, 2023 with plans to continue operations till March 25. Now the airline is planning to continue the service for an additional eight weeks except for a pause between March 25 to April 10, to secure more crew for the additional flights.
“With the road link still cut off, we’ve extended the service for as long as we can to ensure connectivity between the regions while the roading infrastructure is being repaired,” commented Jason Dawson, Regional Affairs manager, Air New Zealand.
The Gisborne airport located about 2.6 miles from Gisborne city center is the only airport in the Southern Hemisphere connected with a railway track.
Air New Zealand operates its Bombardier Q300 DHC-8 Dash 8 between Gisborne and Auckland International Airport (AKL) and Wellington International Airport (WLG), with multiple flights daily. Air Napier also operates services from Gisborne, with a connection to Napier.