A Nelson woman banned from flying with Air New Zealand has taken the airline to the High Court, arguing it banned her based on lies from its staff.

Air New Zealand says the woman is an abusive bully but Nelson lawyer Anjela Sharma is heading to the High Court to sue.

The airline banned her for a year in July, saying she's an unruly passenger who regularly abuses its staff.

"If Air New Zealand can't stop people travelling who are bullying and intimidating staff, what do they do in those situations?" said Air New Zealand's lawyer Simon Ladd.

Sharma says the allegations were invented to justify banning her over a recent disagreement.