Air New Zealand has confirmed that social distancing is no longer a requirement on its domestic flights, as the country lifts all domestic COVID-19 restrictions.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced over the weekend there were no active cases of COVID-19 in the country, and there had been no new cases for more than a fortnight.

However, international border controls will remain in place.

As a result, the country’s national carrier released a fact-sheet addressing what that will mean for domestic air travel, with a nixing of social distancing on domestic flights first on the list.

“Social distancing is no longer a requirement, unaccompanied minors will once again be able to travel domestically, and customers will be able to travel around New Zealand again with pets as checked baggage,” Air New Zealand general manager customer experience Nikki Goodman said.

Domestic lounges have reopened, except for in Auckland, which is currently undergoing refurbishments, and Wellington and Christchurch regional lounges which remain closed at this stage.

Thankfully, the announcement effectively means the airline won’t have to follow through with the threat of bringing back its infamous rap safety video if customers don’t adhere to physical distancing measures.

Don't make us do it. Please. 😂
– the Marketing Team pic.twitter.com/PMUpTspxm7

— Air New Zealand ✈️ (@FlyAirNZ) May 29, 2020

This came as the airline released an outline of its 800-day recovery plan, marking late August 2022 as a benchmark for when it expects to return to making a healthy profit.

Air New Zealand’s new CEO Greg Foran, who has been in the role since October last year, said in a release to the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges that in 2022 the airline may only be 70 per cent the size it was pre-COVID-19.

“We can see an Air New Zealand of 2022 that is flying about 13 million customers annually versus almost 18 million pre-COVID-19,” Foran said.

“The good news is that Air New Zealand could be more profitable in the future than before, allowing us to start reinvesting in our customer experience, to share the rewards with Air New Zealanders via consistent profit share bonuses and to distribute dividends to our shareholders”

The plan has been split into three parts: ‘survive’, ‘revive’ and ‘thrive’.

Survive, which is expected to run until the end of August this year, consists of a range of cost-cutting measures, including 4,000 job losses and grounding its 777 fleet. The airline said this stage will include further job loss as the airline seeks to reduce its wages bill and figure out new ways of working.

Revive, which begins 1 September if the survive stage is completed on time, is expected to see the return of Tasman and Pacific Island flying for both leisure and business travellers. However, Foran said he does not see a return to long-haul flying until next year, or until there is a vaccine, effective treatment or elimination of the disease in key markets.

“Nevertheless, the reality is that during our revive period, we will be a much smaller airline, growing gradually as routes open and customer confidence returns,” he said.

“We will use this phase to develop new products and services while creating innovative ways to encourage Kiwis to travel for business and leisure.”

Foran said the airline will hit the thrive phase of its plan by August 2022, predicting it will be a digital company that monetises through aviation and tourism in a very sustainable manner.

“As we thrive we will not focus on size, but on quality. We will be smaller, flying fewer routes but we will not change our outstanding reputation for care, compassion and heart,” he said.

“The pride that comes with being our country’s national carrier; these values stand us apart. We will also lead in areas relating to climate change, particularly carbon emissions.”

The airline plans to operate around 55 per cent of its usual domestic capacity (compared to pre-COVID-19 levels) from July and August. On Monday, the airline began operating to all 20 of the domestic ports it previously flew to.