Air New Zealand reported a lift in demand, passenger numbers and capacity on its Tasman and Pacific network last month but loads fell slightly.
Demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), climbed 7.4% with passenger numbers rising 6.5% to 268,000. Capacity was up almost 8%.
But loads fell 0.4 percentage points to 86.6%.
Group wide, Air NZ carried just over one million passengers in January, up 3.1% compared to the same month last year. RPK climbed 2.2% with capacity rising 1.2%. Loads increased 0.9 points to 87.2%.
Short haul passenger numbers were up 4.2% but long haul declined 3.3%. Yields climbed 1.7% and 5% respectively.
Meanwhile, Air NZ said it welcomed a Commerce Commission report which it said confirmed that Wellington Airport earns "excessive profit through an unreasonable charging regime".
"The Commerce Commission estimates that under the current regime Wellington Airport will receive up to $69 million in excess revenue over the next five years," the carrier said. "Air NZ is committed to reducing airfares into and out of Wellington as soon as a more reasonable charging system is implemented."
