It’s been way too long, 330 days to be precise, but direct flights into Queenstown from Australia are back as of today. The first Qantas International flight into Queenstown in what seems like forever will touch down from Sydney at 2.30pm today.
Today marks the restart of four routes on Qantas’ trans-Tasman network, Sydney to Queenstown and Wellington, and Melbourne to Christchurch and Wellington. Brisbane to Christchurch restarts tomorrow, 24 May.
Qantas services from Melbourne and Brisbane to Queenstown recommence on 18 June.
The airline will operate up to 20 weekly services to Queenstown from Australia. Capacity on the route is expected to reach 110 per cent of pre-COVID levels by July, with Australian travellers eager to hit the famous South Island slopes, providing a boost for the New Zealand tourism industry.
The addition of these flights sees Qantas return to its full pre-COVID trans-Tasman network.
Services to New Zealand are operated by a mix of Boeing 737-800 and wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft, which offer Business Suites with lay flat beds.
To celebrate the return of quarantine-free trans-Tasman travel, Frequent Flyers are able to book any seat as a Classic Reward Seat, with every Qantas and Jetstar flight in May a Points Plane.
