Air New Zealand to prioritise Kiwi travel

Air New Zealand will not be reinstating its Rarotonga-Los Angeles route.

A spokesperson for the airline told the NZ Herald the reason was because it wanted to focus on getting customers to, from and within New Zealand.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cook Islands Government underwrote the airline's weekly flights between Rarotonga and Los Angeles.

According to local tourism operator Tata Crocombe who owns The Rarotongan beach resort, the move will be a “substantial” blow for the local tourism sector and Cook Islands’ economy because fewer Northern Hemisphere tourists will visit.