Air New Zealand has released a new limited domestic schedule for flights during alert level 3.
Air New Zealand planes parked up at Auckland Airport during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Supplied / Air New Zealand
The airline said it would gear up to enable essential travel only and keep air freight moving from next Tuesday.
It will run return flights from Auckland to Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga and Napier, from Wellington to Christchurch and Nelson, and from Christchurch to Dunedin.
Air New Zealand general manager of networks Scott Carr said travel remained very restricted under alert level 3.
He said the extra services were mainly between Auckland and Napier and Tauranga.
The airline had just 175 passengers flying today in what may be a record low, Chief Revenue Officer Cam Wallace tweeted.
The airline is investigating whether today's bookings across just 14 flights is a new record.
The level 4 lockdown, due to Covid-19, means only essential workers are allowed to travel.