About 50,000 people a year flew between Invercargill Airport and Wellington. Photo: Matthew Rosenberg/LDR
Flights between Invercargill and Wellington are important for the community, the Invercargill Airport chief executive says.
Air New Zealand announced on Monday that it would stop flying between the Southland city and the capital from January.
Air NZ cancels flights Wellington to Invercargill
Invercargill Airport chief executive Stuart Harris told First Up about 50,000 people a year flew between Invercargill and Wellington.
They'll now have to go via Christchurch, or Auckland.
"When we heard it for the first time very much shocked, disappointed, and really concerned for the connectivity of our region.
"We've got connections to Auckland, to Wellington, to Christchurch, we've just lost one of those three things and so it's important, and it's important that it's there and obviously we're disappointed that it's not going to be there going forward."
Going via Christchurch, which is the most efficient route, means one more stop and the possibility of typical travel disruptions, Harris said.
"You've got one more round of that to deal with."
The reaction from local leaders was that they wanted the flights to stay, Harris said.
But Air New Zealand had indicated it did not see a future in the route, he said.