This is a list of the busiest airports in New Zealand by passenger numbers and aircraft movements. Passenger numbers are tabulated annually at the end of the financial year (30 June, for the majority of airports). The top 15 airports are shown.
Passenger numbers
2020
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
15,521,054 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
5,194,982 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
4,759,442 |
| 4. |
Queenstown Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
1,291,501 |
| 5. |
Dunedin Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
793,556 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
782,000 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
541,087 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
498,000 |
| 9. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
441,000 |
| 10. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
389,000 |
| 11. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
304,000 |
| 12. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
290,432 |
| 13. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
246,325 |
| 14. |
Rotorua Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
205.143 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
196,500 |
2019
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
21,625,370 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
6,931,441 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
6,441,935 |
| 4. |
Queenstown Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
2,321,347 |
| 5. |
Dunedin Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
1,077,475 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
1,076,686 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
750,357 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
687,142 |
| 9. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
475,000 |
| 10. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
455,000 |
| 11. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
382,000 |
| 12. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
321,000 |
| 13. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
317,000 |
| 14. |
Rotorua Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
265,443 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
191,651 |
2018
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
20,530,048 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
6,868,948 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
6,213,589 |
| 4. |
Queenstown Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
2,140,669 |
| 5. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
1,061,000 |
| 6. |
Dunedin Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
1,035,645 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
697,143 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
675,867 |
| 9. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
436,912 |
| 10. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
405,000 |
| 11. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
353,000 |
| 12. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
322,139 |
| 13. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
307,308 |
| 14. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
246,846 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
170,993 |
2017
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
19,020,573 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
6,566,598 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
6,049,194 |
| 4. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
1,892,443 |
| 5. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
1,000,373 |
| 6. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
973,089 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
652,456 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
630,000 |
| 9. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
435,000 |
| 10. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
350,085 |
| 11. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
317,348 |
| 12. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
302,884 |
| 13. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
294,832 |
| 14. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
241,303 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
156,146 |
2016
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
17,260,349 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
6,305,717 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
5,848,795 |
| 4. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
1,651,109 |
| 5. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
909,614 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
865,023 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
566,431 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
515,727 |
| 9. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
411,661 |
| 10. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
303,000 |
| 11. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
298,000 |
| 12. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
289,836 |
| 13. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
266,905 |
| 14. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
222,983 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
141,085 |
2015
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
15,892,741 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
5,915,785 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
5,457,279 |
| 4. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
1,409,663 |
| 5. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
861,982 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
764,050 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
476,000 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
466,557 |
| 9. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
342,000 |
| 10. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
291,000 |
| 11. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
285,992 |
| 12. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
277,838 |
| 13. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
250,000 |
| 14. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
222,226 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
155,897 |
2014
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
15,098,346 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
5,709,272 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
5,437,286 |
| 4. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
1,248,878 |
| 5. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
853,097 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
744,416 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
456,672 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
455,166 |
| 9. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
343,572 |
| 10. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
294,396 |
| 11. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
281,811 |
| 12. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
273,857 |
| 13. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
241,173 |
| 14. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
215,276 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
155,446 |
2013
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
14,862,485 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
5,576,821 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
5,373,622 |
| 4. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
1,215,526 |
| 5. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
857,951 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
767,298 |
| 7. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
451,128 |
| 8. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
445,147 |
| 9. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
332,178 |
| 10. |
Hamilton International Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
306,000 |
| 11. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
280,000 |
| 12. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
261,265 |
| 13. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
227,886 |
| 14. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
217,545 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
133,113 |
2012
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
14,160,640 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
5,485,023 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
5,191,729 |
| 4. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
1,156,250 |
| 5. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
853,650 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
776,448 |
| 7. |
Palmerston North International Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
449,318 |
| 8. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
440,704 |
| 9. |
Hamilton International Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
354,000 |
| 10. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
321,337 |
| 11. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
285,000 |
| 12. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
248,519 |
| 13. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
226,795 |
| 14. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
221,707 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
132,000 |
2011
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Passengers |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
13,703,043 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
5,592,529 |
| 3. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
5,135,000 |
| 4. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
966,574 |
| 5. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
776,508 |
| 6. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
758,250 |
| 7. |
Palmerston North International Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
449,090 |
| 8. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
431,903 |
| 9. |
Hamilton International Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
362,000 |
| 10. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
300,960 |
| 11. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
281,633 |
| 12. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
246,485 |
| 13. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
227,578 |
| 14. |
Blenheim Airport |
BHE |
Blenheim |
212,179 |
| 15. |
Gisborne Airport |
GIS |
Gisborne |
134,600 |
Total aircraft movements
This list includes aircraft operating under both instrument flight rules (IFR) and visual flight rules (VFR) and includes international movements. Consequently, the figures do not distinguish between commercial passenger flights and private aircraft movements. It is compiled from Airways New Zealand movement data.
2018
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Movements |
| 1. |
Auckland Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
157,095 |
| 2. |
Hamilton Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
135,404 |
| 3. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
107,822 |
| 4. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
101,161 |
| 5. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
70,450 |
| 6. |
Palmerston North Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
55,960 |
| 7. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
45,677 |
| 8. |
Queenstown Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
43,012 |
| 9. |
Kapiti Coast Airport |
PPQ |
Kapiti Coast |
31,241 |
| 10. |
RNZAF Base Ohakea |
OHA |
Ohakea |
28,807 |
| 11. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
24,910 |
| 12. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
24,386 |
| 13. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
23,058 |
| 14. |
Dunedin Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
22,758 |
| 15. |
Rotorua Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
22,532 |
2012
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Movements |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
155,903 |
| 2. |
Hamilton International Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
128,744 |
| 3. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
108,757 |
| 4. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
102,454 |
| 5. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
72,652 |
| 6. |
Palmerston North International Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
67,395 |
| 7. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
48,073 |
| 8. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
43,776 |
| 9. |
Kapiti Coast Airport |
PPQ |
Kapiti Coast |
33,702 |
| 10. |
RNZAF Base Ohakea |
OHA |
Ohakea |
30,959 |
| 11. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
30,773 |
| 12. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
28,491 |
| 13. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
25,328 |
| 14. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
25,242 |
| 15. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
22,092 |
2011
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Location |
Movements |
| 1. |
Auckland International Airport |
AKL |
Auckland |
156,484 |
| 2. |
Christchurch International Airport |
CHC |
Christchurch |
121,112 |
| 3. |
Hamilton International Airport |
HLZ |
Hamilton |
110,419 |
| 4. |
Wellington International Airport |
WLG |
Wellington |
105,585 |
| 5. |
Tauranga Airport |
TRG |
Tauranga |
74,400 |
| 6. |
Palmerston North International Airport |
PMR |
Palmerston North |
65,708 |
| 7. |
RNZAF Base Ohakea |
OHA |
Ohakea |
55,726 |
| 8. |
Nelson Airport |
NSN |
Nelson |
50,094 |
| 9. |
Queenstown International Airport |
ZQN |
Queenstown |
41,769 |
| 10. |
New Plymouth Airport |
NPL |
New Plymouth |
32,791 |
| 11. |
Invercargill Airport |
IVC |
Invercargill |
30,840 |
| 12. |
Dunedin International Airport |
DUD |
Dunedin |
29,229 |
| 13. |
Hawkes Bay Airport |
NPE |
Napier |
27,322 |
| 14. |
Rotorua International Airport |
ROT |
Rotorua |
22,682 |
