New Emirates bookings cut

New bookings on Emirates flights to Auckland will be unavailable for the next three weeks following a directive from the Government to restrict inbound capacity. China Southern, which flies once a week between Guangzhou and Auckland, says it’s also stopped taking any new bookings for inbound New Zealand passengers for the next three weeks. On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government was working with airlines to control an increasing flow of Kiwis wanting to return home to escape the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Air New Zealand, which brings in about 80 per cent of international arrivals, said it had put a hold on all international inbound seat bookings for the next three weeks at the request of the Government. Some customers would need to be moved to another flight, due to the national carrier aligning daily arrivals with capacity available at managed isolation facilities, it said. Singapore Airlines said it would make adjustments to loads to ensure it did not contribute to an overwhelming of facilities. On Tuesday, an Emirates spokeswoman said in response to the Government’s directive to restrict capacity on all inbound international flights, new bookings on Emirates flights to Auckland would be temporarily unavailable for the next three weeks. Existing bookings during this period would be unaffected, she said. Emirates currently flies its Dubai-Auckland service four times a week.