Air New Zealand has added three new weekly direct flights between Auckland and Dunedin.

Increased demand is credited with the change as well as more customers wanting to connect with international destinations.

The scheduled changes will give Auckland customers over 10 hours on the ground in Dunedin, while giving Dunedin customers nearly six hours in Auckland.

An additional 35,000 seats annually will also be added to the Wellington to Dunedin route later this year.