Qantas is going to ramp up flights on three trans-Tasman routes
Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Qantas has announced it is adding 260,000 additional seats across three routes.
They are Christchurch to Brisbane, Christchurch to Melbourne, and Wellington to Melbourne.
The airline will be using its Boeing 737 aircraft on the routes.
Qantas has announced it is boosting services across the Tasman to both Christchurch and Wellington.
From October, the carrier will add flights on the Christchurch to Brisbane route, as well as on Christchurch to Melbourne, and Wellington to Melbourne.
Up to 260,000 additional seats across the three routes will be added over 12 months, compared to its current schedule.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the airline is flying more people across the Tasman than pre-Covid with up to 180 return flights each week.
“These additional flights will see us operate almost double daily services from Melbourne and Brisbane to Christchurch, offering business and leisure customers more choice in the time of day they’d like to travel,” said Wallace.
“The services will also make it easier for Kiwis to connect to our broader domestic and international network via the east coast of Australia.”
The airline will be using its Boeing 737 aircraft on the routes.
Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson called the announcement “great news”.
“Every time a plane touches down on our runway, it brings in valuable international visitors that benefit our communities and businesses,” said Watson.
“This support means Qantas’ Christchurch routes will soon have 500,000 seats each year and our growth will continue.”
Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke welcomed the decision.
“It’s reinforcing Qantas’s role as the main international airline for Wellington, well ahead of any other airline by total seats and number of return flights operated.,” said Clarke.
“People are keen to travel and it’s great to see airline capacity increasing to meet that demand. More flights mean improved choice, competition and connections.”
Qantas recently announced it was going to add the bigger 737 plane on its Wellington to Brisbane route, replacing the smaller Embraer E190 from October.
The additional trans-Tasman flights
• Christchurch-Brisbane: flights to increase from daily to between 10 to 12 per week from late October.
• Christchurch-Melbourne: flights to increase from daily to 12 per week over the December/January peak and continue between 10 to 12 per week through 2025.
• Wellington-Melbourne: flights to increase from daily to 10 per week between September 2024 and April 2025.