Hundreds of quarantine-free travellers have arrived from the United States for the first time in more than two years.
Travellers embrace at Auckland airport as vaccinated international tourists from visa-waiver countries return to New Zealand, on 2 May 2022. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
The borders re-opened to vaccinated travellers from all visa waiver countries at midnight.
Vaccinated travellers from 60 visa-waiver countries are now able to enter New Zealand and self-test, without having to go through MIQ.
A flight from Los Angeles landed in Auckland at 5.30 this morning, to excited crowds and performers singing waiata.
A big "kia ora" was painted on the grass alongside the Auckland airport runway to welcome the long-awaited travellers.
'People are reconnecting with family and friends after a long two year period' - Auckland airport chief executive
Auckland airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui told Morning Report the international terminal has been buzzing, and there have been 'movie scene moments' as people reunite.
"It's been fantastic actually you see a lot of those movie scene moments where people are reconnecting with family and friends after a long two year period."
Travellers reunite as international borders open to vaccinated travellers from more countries on 2 May 2022. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
She said there will be arrivals from the US, Singapore, Fiji and Australia today.
"Today, we've got 43 international arriving and departing flights here in Auckland and its about 9000 customers we're expecting through today."
Auckland Airport has brought back about forty staff in the past six months and Hurihanganui said it would boost staffing in the coming months as international flights re-establish.
Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
"It will just be a sensible, gradual ramp up." - Air NZ chief executive
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran told First-Up almost 1000 people will arrive on the airline's flights from the US and Fiji today, and the frequency of flights will continue to rise into winter.
Foran said, by the July school holidays, Air New Zealand's schedule will be similar to pre-Covid times.
"It's a difficult one to predict accurately but we're planning is that when we get to July, getting into our next set of school holidays, we're starting to get more and more places open and the schedule is starting to resemble something a bit closer to pre-Covid.
"It will just be a sensible, gradual ramp up to that for the next few months."
Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
He said the airline was working to reunite its fleet of dedicated international aircraft, which have been grounded in the US.
"We're actually in the process of bringing several of those back out of the desert now and getting them reanimated to get ready to fly later this year."
Yesterday, Associate Minister for Covid-19 Response Ayesha Verrall announced a trial of Covid-19 LAMP tests.
Foran said the airline's crew and staff would be involved in the LAMP test pilot.
"The LAMP test is a test which is more accurate than what you're going to get from a rapid antigen test, less complicated and costly that what you get from a PCR.
"The way we look at this is it's a great tool to have in the tool box if we're going to deal with another significant pandemic and we don't have to go to the extent of potentially locking down the country again."
Foran said the airline would support a move away from pre-departure Covid-19 testing as a requirement.