1 May 2016

First night flight touches down in Queenstown

12:47 pm on 1 May 2016

Air New Zealand has successfully landed its first night flight in Queenstown, following a $20 million upgrade of the runway.

Work on the runway started last November, despite some pilot's concerns' the upgrades didn't go far enough for safety.

Last night, Air New Zealand successfully operated the first evening flight into Queenstown.

Partial evening flights will start at the end of May, while the full schedule will take effect in July.

Air New Zealand said the new service would bring significant benefits to the Central Otago economy.