Passenger numbers reach for the sky at Hamilton Airport

Waikato travellers have taken to a return of trans-Tasman flights from Hamilton, with a 39% leap in Hamilton Airport passenger numbers in the second half of last year.

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And along with more incoming Aussies, some Kiwis are even driving down from Bombay to skip a trip out of Auckland over a Waikato offering.

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Hamilton Airport recorded the surge in passenger numbers during the six months to December 2025 – an increase of 71,000 travellers on the year earlier.

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According to their six-month report around 55,000 flyers were taking to the skies for international routes between Hamilton, Sydney and the Gold Coast.

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Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said that since the start of Jetstar’s daily international flights across the ditch, “the buzz hasn’t stopped since”.

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The Waikato Times had earlier revealed that in the first month since the service launched, almost 9000 passengers took flights to Australia.

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