Customer satisfaction high, travel confidence down at Nelson Airport: Survey

2025-07-07

Nelson Airport has maintained its “Excellent” customer satisfaction rating for the third year running, results from its annual survey show. The survey ran over March and April, with visitors to the airport terminal invited to participate by scanning QR codes on display. The survey attracted 1061 responses.

As well as providing a snapshot of people’s perceptions of the airport itself, the survey also provides a view into the region’s traveller mix and intentions. With a net promoter score of 51, well above the aviation industry average of 38, the airport maintained an “Excellent” satisfaction rating in this year’s survey.

Other key results show the mix of travellers through the airport are 34% locals, 66% visitors – and 25% of travellers are international visitors. Travel for leisure and to visit friends and family makes up 70% of travellers through Nelson Airport, with 18% of travellers flying for business – a drop of 7.4% on last year’s survey.

Overall travel confidence has declined slightly since 2024, with 77% of respondents saying they intend to fly within the next six months (down from 80% in 2024). The largest drop in demand was for business travel.

Nelson Airport Chief Executive Brendan Cook says the survey provides a vital snapshot into the airport’s performance and opportunities for improvement.

“This year’s results are really interesting. We know we’re in a challenging time for both the aviation sector and the economy generally and we’re seeing that come through in these results, particularly for business travel. It’s great to see pretty strong travel confidence overall despite those challenges, and of course we’re delighted that people are still enjoying the Nelson Airport experience while they’re here.”

Brendan said there was always room to improve, and the survey provided useful insights into what the airport’s customers would like to see in future. “We’ve got some great feedback to work on, and I think people will be happy to see some exciting developments in the coming year for our café and bar facilities, as well as some new and improved seating options.”

The airport also conducted a community survey for people to share their thoughts even if they weren’t travelling during the survey period. A total of 881 people completed the community survey, and travel confidence was also strong in this group, with 81% indicating they intend to fly within the next six months.

Both surveys sought feedback on perceptions of the airport’s Project 2-Zero runway extension plans, with the combined results showing 75% positive or neutral sentiment.