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Route

Nelson → Christchurch

NSNNelsonNelson Airport
CHCChristchurchChristchurch International Airport
Distance
155 mi
Estimated flight time
~50m

Same local time in Nelson and Christchurch.

Observed nonstop

View the reverse route

How often does this route fly?

Frequency

Several times a day

On average around 6 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

6
flights per day
6
busiest month · Oct
5
quietest month · Dec
44 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 6Jan2026
  2. 6Feb
  3. 6Mar
  4. 5Apr
  5. 5May
  6. 6Jun
  7. 5Jul
  8. 6Aug
  9. 6Sep
  10. 6Oct2025
  11. 6Nov
  12. 5Dec

Airlines

Who flies it

Air New Zealandall year
Originairspring

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in Nelson. Most departures between 12:00 and 15:00.

  1. 00:00
  2. 01:00
  3. 02:00
  4. 03:00
  5. 04:00
  6. 05:00
  7. 06:00
  8. 07:00
  9. 08:00
  10. 09:00
  11. 10:00
  12. 11:00
  13. 12:00
  14. 13:00
  15. 14:00
  16. 15:00
  17. 16:00
  18. 17:00
  19. 18:00
  20. 19:00
  21. 20:00
  22. 21:00
  23. 22:00
  24. 23:00

Through the week

By weekday

  1. 5.8Mon
  2. 5.3Tue
  3. 5.1Wed
  4. 5.8Thu
  5. 6.1Fri
  6. 3.8Sat
  7. 6.2Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. ATR 72-600AT7653%
  2. De Havilland Dash 8-300DH8C33%
  3. Beechcraft King Air 200BE2011%
  4. B3501%
  5. JS321%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 20266181
  • Air New Zealand149×
February 20266167
  • Air New Zealand138×
  • Originair4×
March 20266188
  • Air New Zealand160×
  • Originair5×
April 20265156
  • Air New Zealand134×
  • Originair1×
May 20265140
  • Air New Zealand129×
June 20266155
  • Air New Zealand138×
July 20265146
  • Air New Zealand126×
August 20266164
  • Air New Zealand137×
September 20266166
  • Air New Zealand136×
October 20256188
  • Air New Zealand164×
  • Originair2×
November 20256164
  • Air New Zealand144×
  • Originair2×
December 20255150
  • Air New Zealand131×

Airlines observed on this route

From observed callsign routes on NSN-CHC - not a booking guarantee.

Air New Zealand

NZ · ANZ

Hub: AKL Auckland

34 departure airportsView airline →

Originair

OG · OGN

Hub: NSN Nelson

6 departure airportsView airline →

About this route

  • Domestic route: both airports are in the same country.
  • The opposite direction has also been observed as a direct connection.
  • Direct destinations observed from Nelson: 8.
  • Direct destinations observed from Christchurch: 21.

The airports on this route

Nelson Airport

Nelson, New ZealandNSN / NZNS

Regional airport · 8 direct destinations · 2 runways · longest runway 4,419 ft

40 °F · ClearSource: forecast by MET Norway (adapted), licensed under CC BY 4.0

Airport pageAll direct destinations

Christchurch International Airport

Christchurch, New ZealandCHC / NZCH

Major airport · 21 direct destinations · 3 runways · longest runway 10,787 ft

41 °F · ClearSource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

Airport pageAll direct destinations

Alternative airports for this journey

Same journey, a different airport nearby - with an observed direct connection.

BHE CHCWoodbourne AirportBlenheim is about 37 mi from Nelson.View route →WLG CHCWellington International AirportWellington is about 82 mi from Nelson.View route →

About the route from Nelson to Christchurch

The observed direct connection between Nelson Airport (NSN) and Christchurch International Airport (CHC) covers approximately 155 mi. The estimated flight time is around 50m. Air New Zealand and Originair have been observed on this connection in the available route data.

Frequently asked questions about this route

How far is Nelson from Christchurch by air?
The great-circle distance between Nelson Airport and Christchurch International Airport is approximately 155 mi.
How long is the flight from Nelson to Christchurch?
Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 50m. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
Is there a direct connection from Nelson to Christchurch?
Yes, a direct connection between NSN and CHC has been observed in our route data.
Which airlines have been observed on this route?
In the available route data: Air New Zealand and Originair.
How often is there a flight from Nelson to Christchurch?
On average around 6 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 1,965 observed flights. Mainly Air New Zealand, Originair. That is an observation, not a timetable.
What is the current time difference between Nelson and Christchurch?
Same local time in Nelson and Christchurch.

Where this data comes from

The route data comes from the flight archive (ADS-B, adsb.lol): which connections actually flew over the last twelve full months and who flew them, combined with our own airport, runway, and airline datasets. It is reference data about observed routes - not a current timetable and no claim about bookability.

The frequency and aircraft on this page come from the flight archive (ADS-B, 12 months, October 2025 to September 2026), summarized per route per month. We do not see every flight, so it is a floor, not a count.

Route data updated on October 11, 2026.