A Jetstar A320.
Photo: 123rf
Jetstar says the addition of two new domestic services – and added flights on existing routes – will open up more than 660,000 extra seats on the airline each year.
A new flight was planned between Brisbane and Queenstown during next year’s ski season, while daily flights from Hamilton to Christchurch would begin this December.
The airline was also increasing the number of flights linking Auckland to Christchurch and Dunedin, as well as three trans-Tasman routes.
Flights connecting Auckland to Brisbane would now run twice daily, while four extra flights between Auckland and Sydney would add nearly 80,000 seats to the route each year.
Flights linking Christchurch to Melbourne would also increase with an additional 26,000 seats becoming available as the flight was upgraded to a daily service.
Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said the changes would bring more tourism into the country and boost connectivity about the motu and across the Tasman.
“We know how vital air travel is for connecting Kiwi families, friends, holidaymakers and business travellers. These changes will give a much-needed boost to inbound tourism while offering Kiwis even more low-fares and choice in how they travel.”
She said the changes would lift Jetstar’s total NZ domestic capacity by 18 percent and 14 percent across the Tasman, making the move the single-biggest expansion ever of its New Zealand and trans-Tasman network.
The airline would base an additional A320 aircraft in Auckland to manage the added flights.
Tully said the changes – alongside additional Qantas flights between Christchurch and Sydney and Qantas’ use of a new A220 aircraft on flights linking Wellington to Sydney – would further bolster Aotearoa’s connectivity with Australia and further afield.
“With more seats on our trans-Tasman network than ever before, with one stop in Australia, Kiwis will have enhanced connectivity to Asia and beyond,” Tully said.
The new A220 aircraft joined the Qantas fleet in early 2024, and was a more fuel efficient design that boasted a nearly 50 percent reduction in noise as well as specially designed seats, windows and improved device connectivity for passengers.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.