Christchurch posts record summer

Christchurch Airport says its busiest modern summer pushed 3.1 million passengers through the terminal between November 2025 and March 2026. (christchurchairport.co.nz) The airport counted 287,000 international visitors over those five months, up 22% from the previous summer, according to a media release published April 13. Australia was the largest source market with 112,600 arrivals, followed by China with 38,400. (christchurchairport.co.nz) Monthly traffic data on the airport’s website shows how strong the peak was. January 2026 reached 612,485 total passengers and February hit 616,467, both above the same months in 2025. (christchurchairport.co.nz) The airport had been preparing for a bigger season since December. It said summer capacity from November 2025 to March 2026 was set to rise by 375,000 seats, including 139,000 more international seats and 236,000 more domestic seats. (christchurchairport.co.nz) Airlines added frequency and bigger aircraft on key routes. Christchurch Airport said Singapore Airlines ramped up to 11 weekly flights at peak, Cathay Pacific capacity rose 24%, China Southern Airlines rose 37%, Jetstar rose 49%, Qantas rose 18%, and Air New Zealand rose 7% from the prior season. (christchurchairport.co.nz) China was one of the clearest growth stories in the figures. The airport said Chinese visitor numbers rose by more than 100% from the previous summer, helped by extra Guangzhou flights and a New Zealand trial that, from early November 2025, lets eligible Chinese visitors travel from Australia using a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority instead of a visitor visa. (christchurchairport.co.nz) (immigration.govt.nz) The airport says those international travellers contributed NZ$861 million to the South Island economy, with spending spread across hotels, restaurants and tourism operators. The same release also tied the summer surge to freight, saying export volumes to China rose 31%, Hong Kong rose 39%, and Australia rose 16% from a year earlier. (christchurchairport.co.nz) For Christchurch, the numbers show traffic has moved well beyond the border-restricted years of 2021 and 2022, when international passenger counts were often in the hundreds or low thousands per month. In January 2026 alone, the airport logged 201,641 international passengers. (christchurchairport.co.nz) The airport’s pitch is that Christchurch is no longer just a domestic hub with seasonal overseas links. After a summer like this, it is operating as the South Island’s main international gateway again. (christchurchairport.co.nz)