By Vanessa Pratley
Investigative Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakatewhatewha
We've trawled through 9 months of aviation data to reveal the regions that have the most flight cancellations. And if you’re flying in or out of Timaru anytime soon, you might want to read up on your flight rights.
Just over 8% of flights to and from Timaru were called off over a 9-month period from May 2025 to January 2026. Other regions aren’t far behind, and 3 had about 7% of flights cancelled.
It’s better news for some South Island towns, though. Invercargill, Dunedin and Queenstown had the most planned flights go ahead.
Flight disruptions happen. But airlines don’t have to tell you about your rights. That’s why we’ve set out your flight rights if things go wrong.
Regions with the most cancellations
Timaru takes out the top spot of regions with the most cancellations, with just over 8% of its flights cancelled. This covers both flights to and from the region operated by any airline. With only a few flights to the region each day, it’s worth considering a backup plan if you need to get to Timaru.
Next most likely is Rotorua, with 7.15% of flights cancelled, followed closely by Hokitika and Tākaka (7.14% and 7.08% respectively). Taupō, New Plymouth and Kerikeri all have cancellation rates of around 4.54–4.75%.
Rounding out the top 10 regions with the most cancellations are Hamilton (4.22%), Whangārei (4.16%) and windy Wellington (3.48%).
If you’re planning on flying to or from any of these regions, plan for disruptions by brushing up on your rights and having a backup plan.
We don’t often recommend buying domestic travel insurance, but most policies will cover you for weather-related cancellations and delays. Find out more about our research into domestic travel insurance.
Regions with the least cancellations
The South Island (Timaru and Hokitika notwithstanding) seems to be the place to travel. Invercargill had the lowest cancellation rate, with just 2.22% of scheduled flights affected.
Humble Dunedin and tourist hotspot Queenstown are close behind, with 2.38% and 2.47% of scheduled flights cancelled respectively.
Christchurch (2.77%) and Auckland (3.04%) are next and considering the sheer volume of scheduled flights for the regions, their cancellation rates are impressively low.
Then comes a few North Island locations: Palmerston North (3.08%), Gisborne (3.45%) and Tauranga (3.51%).
Finally, Nelson and Blenheim, both situated at the top of the South Island, have 3.66% and 3.7% of scheduled flights cancelled respectively.
About the data
Our data comes from the Ministry of Transport. The Ministry of Transport tracks airline on-time performance in monthly reports. Since May 2025, it has released data sources for the reports.
We’ve combined all currently available data to give us a picture of where cancellations have been happening over 9 months.
Our analysis excludes regional airports that had fewer than 20 scheduled flights per month on average. This is because those results can give a misleading impression about cancellations. For example, Wairoa in Hawke’s Bay had a 20% cancellation rate. That seems shocking until you realise just 20 flights were scheduled for the region over the whole period.
We also excluded regions that didn’t schedule flights or didn’t have data for the majority of months recorded. For example, Chatham Islands, Wanaka and the North Shore each only operated flights in May and June in 2025. None of these regions have any data for the rest of the period.
Your rights when your flight is disrupted
Delays and cancellations can leave unlucky passengers scrambling to get to their destination or to get a refund. Depending on the reason for disruption, you might be entitled to compensation.
Domestic flights can be cancelled or delayed due to an event within the airline’s control (such as staffing, operational or mechanical issues). In these cases, if you don’t want to accept a replacement flight, you can ask for a refund.
You can also claim back other expenses related to getting you to your destination, such as:
meals
accommodation
any additional costs you incur.
In total, you can claim back the lesser of:
up to 10 times the cost of the ticket
the actual cost of delay.
Domestic flights can also be cancelled or delayed due to an event beyond the airline’s control (for example, weather). In such cases, you may have certain rights. Those rights will depend on:
the type of fare you bought
the airline’s terms and conditions.
If you bought a refundable fare, you’ll be entitled to a refund regardless of the reason for the cancellation or delay.
If you haven’t purchased a refundable fare, the airline will usually rebook you on another flight or offer you a credit.
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