The move came after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave a definitive start date for one-way quarantine-free travel from the Pacific island.
An Air New Zealand Airbus A320-200 taxis at Auckland Airport. (Photo: Will Waters/Unsplash)
Air New Zealand has announced that it will soon operate one return passenger service every two weeks on Wednesdays between Auckland and Niue, using Airbus A320 aircraft. The first scheduled flight from Niue is due to touch down at Auckland Airport on March 24 at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Tickets are already on sale at airnewzealand.co.nz. In a statement, Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said the carrier was “primed to operate to more international destinations” since the successful launch of one-way quarantine-free flights from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands earlier this year. He added, “This quarantine-free travel option from Niue to New Zealand is another great step forward on the journey to safe travel between New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.”
Niue, a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, is one of the few countries in the world that has no reported cases of Covid-19. The island itself is home to only 1,600 residents; an estimated 90 to 95 percent of Niuean people live in New Zealand.
Travel to Niue remains extremely restricted, with all non-residents barred except for those providing essential services, who must carry a letter from the government saying they have the right to enter the country. Because the scheme is not a two-way quarantine-free arrangement, Niuean citizens and residents must self-isolate for 14 days on arrival into Niue. Those traveling the other way must wear masks throughout the journey, and will arrive at a designated area of Auckland Airport separate from passengers arriving on quarantine flights.
More information here.
