December 2021 Monthly traffic update and Jan 2022 Preview

December 2021 Monthly traffic update and January 2022 Preview -40.0% Auckland Airport total passenger volumes decreased by 40% in December 2021 versus December 2020 and were down 82.4% compared to December 2018. Compared with December 2020, international passengers (excl. transits) were up 34.7%, transit passengers were down 35.7% and domestic passengers were down by 44%. Key Points: o Entry to New Zealand remained restricted in the month with vast majority of arriving passengers going into compulsory MIQ. International passenger numbers in December improved on the prior month due to an increase in both outbound and inbound traffic, with the later a result of RSE workers arriving from Pacific Island nations. o The first 2 weeks of December domestic passenger demand was in-line with prior month of November 2021, down by 92% versus December 2021. Following the removal of Auckland's regional border restrictions, domestic traffic strengthened for the remainder of December 2021, down by 7% compared to December 2020 and down 37% versus December 2018. January 2022 Monthly traffic update preview -1.2% Auckland Airport total passenger volumes decreased by 1.2% in January 2022 versus January 2021and were down 73% compared to the pre-COVID equivalent in January 2019. Compared to January 2021, international passengers (excl. transits) were up 43.6%, transit passengers were down 34.7% and domestic passengers were down by 3.3%. Key Points: o Quarantine free travel to Cook Islands commenced 14 January 2022 and is proving popular with outbound passenger demand at 92% versus January 2019. o Excluding Cook Islands demand, international passengers (excl. transits) increased 20.5% and once again the relative strength to prior year is being driven by the outbound direction increasing by 33.8% compared to 5.7% on the inbound direction. o Holiday demand (1 January to 23 January) on the domestic network was in line with prior year, decreasing 0.2%. The remainder of the month experienced year on year weakness with passenger numbers reducing by 11.3%. Demand to Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and Wellington was weaker in the month declining 12%. Passengers on the remaining domestic routes increased by 7% with 4,503 additional passengers travelling to and from Queenstown this year compared to last year. o The New Zealand Government announced it's 5 step plan to re-open New Zealand borders, beginning 27 February 2022. Whilst this is a welcome step, home isolation is still a requirement which will materially dampen demand. Please see attached pdf for full report. End CA:00387396 For:AIA Type:GENERAL Time:2022-02-17 08:30:50