22 Jul 2015

More passengers pass through Akl Airport

1:55 pm on 22 July 2015

More passengers are passing through Auckland Airport, led by tourists from China and the United States.

The country's main gateway said patronage rose 7 percent to 592,911 people in June, compared with the same period a year ago.

Travellers from China and United States jumped last month.

Auckland Airport said passenger numbers from China jumped by more than a quarter, while those from the US rose by a fifth.

That offsets a fall in patronage from Britain.

On an annual basis, passenger growth rose 6 percent.

Analysts said a lower dollar would make New Zealand more attractive as a travel destination, particularly to the fast growing Asian tourist market.

Some Chinese airlines were already planning to lift capacity to New Zealand to meet demand.