Air New Zealand will start night flights to Queenstown in July, with tickets for the new service going on sale as early as next week.
The airline had been working on extending its Queenstown services for several years, with the Queenstown Airport spending up to $10million widening its runway to 45 metres, adding a new runway, taxiway, approach and installing off-airport lights to allow this.
Air New Zealand chief sales and commercial officer Cam Wallace said the night flights would offer more options and flexibility for travellers as well as better connectivity to Auckland's international hub.
"We believe our proposed Queenstown schedule will be a game-changer for international travellers in particular with same day connections as well as reduced connection times both to and from a range of destinations across Australia, Asia and North America," Wallace said.
Subject to regulatory approval, the airline plans to operate services between Queenstown and Auckland from 7am to 9.30pm daily using A320 aircraft.
The additional flights will increase the airlines capacity by 15 per cent in 2017, adding 100,000 seats to its Queenstown-Auckland services.
In May 2014 Air New Zealand and a number of other industry stakeholders and airlines put a safety case to the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority which was approved provided that upgrades such as the widening and lighting of the runway were made at Queenstown Airport, and as long as individual airlines met criteria relating to fleet and operating procedures.
The airport's extended hours have been hailed as a game changer for the airport, which is 75.1% owned by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, and for helping further develop the ski industry.
However, some pilots have raised concerns about the safety of flying into Queenstown at night due to its runway and mountainous approach.
The airline has already said it would need to put in place a special crew selection and training package for the night flights.
Air New Zealand chief flight operations and safety officer Captain David Morgan said the airline was working closely with industry stakeholders on the extended service hours.
"We have been working collaboratively with the regulator, Queenstown Airport, our pilots and safety teams and unions to finalise a thorough operator safety case which will be submitted to the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority in the near future," Morgan said.
