Tens of thousands more air passengers are pouring through Hamilton Airport as travellers cash in on more choice and cheaper air fares.
In its six-month report (1 July 2025 – 31 December 2025) Hamilton Airport passenger numbers are up 39 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. That’s an increase of 71,000 travellers.
Of those, around 55,000 were on international flights between Hamilton, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Jetstar launched daily international flights to Australia in June 2025 and Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said “the buzz hasn’t stopped since.”
“The international flights have been really well supported. Hamilton Airport is now welcoming passengers from across the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, King Country and Taranaki who find it easier to board here, than drive to Auckland,” Morgan said.
“We even have people drive south from Bombay to us, because flight times are convenient, fares are cheaper and they can dodge the Auckland traffic”
“But more importantly, we have thousands of passengers landing in Hamilton direct from Australia, spending time with friends and family and going on to explore the central North Island and the rest of New Zealand. It’s been fantastic to see.”
Hamilton & Waikato Tourism general manager Nicola Greenwell said Australian visitation days to the Waikato had grown by around 24 per cent during 2025.
“Our Australian visitors are loving what the mighty Waikato has to offer,” Greenwell said. “Visitors from across the ditch account for 18 per cent of our international expenditure in the region. They’re especially keen on our food and beverage and retail offerings, with around $18 million spent in those sectors alone last year.”
The airport’s passenger numbers were also boosted over the last six months of 2025 by the return of domestic jet services to the airport for the first time in 25 years. Air New Zealand introduced a five day a week Airbus A320 service in September and increased it this month to a daily service. Last year Jetstar entered the domestic market out of Hamilton for the first time ever, launching its own daily Hamilton-Christchurch Airbus A320 service in December 2025.
“It means more than half of our passengers now enter or exit our airport on a jet service. That shows the airport has matured and that airlines see Hamilton and the Waikato as a growth market,” Morgan said.
The surge in passenger numbers was a key driver of a $1.4 million increase in revenue for the half year. Morgan said Waikato Regional Airport Ltd, the umbrella company that owns the airport, Jet Park Hotel, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism and Titanium Park Ltd is on track to deliver its first “modest” profit since 2019, without depending on land sales.
“Let’s not count our chickens, but we certainly hope to end the financial year in a solid financial position driven by aeronautical growth. The airport business is a tough one and in the past our diversification strategy, particularly our investment in commercial property holdings has allowed us to strengthen our balance sheet when others couldn’t,” he said.
“The huge growth in our aeronautical business is something we have worked very, very hard for over a long time and it’s great to see results starting to come through.”
