In photos: Qantas reveals archival images to mark 60 years of jets in NZ

Thursday, 10 April 2025

Qantas is celebrating 60 years of its jets flying to New Zealand on April 10, 2025. This is a TV commercial asking Australians to travel to NZ.

Qantas is celebrating 60 years of flying jets to New Zealand, marking six decades of connecting Australians and New Zealanders across the Tasman.

On April 10 1965, history was made when a Qantas Boeing 707-138 left Sydney and touched down in Christchurch as the first ever jet-engine commercial aircraft to cross the Tasman.

Crowds when the Qantas airliner City of Geelong arrived from Sydney on the inaugural flight in the Boeing 707 V-jet service in April 1965.

The inaugural service was commanded by chief pilot Captain “Torchy” Uren. Four New Zealand-born cabin crew members were on board, along with Qantas founder Sir Hudson Fysh and his wife Lady Fysh.

Officers Of The Airliner City Of Geelong, inauguration of the Boeing 707 V- Jet service across the Tasman by Qantas.- From left are Mr. R. S. F. Lamb (second officer) Mr. H. M. Evans (flight engineer), Mr. K. M. Moss (first officer) Captain R. F. Uren (captain of aircraft) Mr. E. R. Plews (navigation officer), and Captain R. A. Gray.

A 10,000-strong crowd welcomed the 104-seat plane to Christchurch.

Then, on November 24, 1965, Qantas jets touched down in Wellington with the first service from Sydney. That same day, Qantas operated the first jet service into Auckland’s new Māngere Airport with a Boeing 707 V-Jet, which was also the first commercial aircraft to land at Māngere after it opened for business.

Did you fly trans-Tasman with Qantas in its early operations in New Zealand? Email us at travel@stuff.co.nz

Qantas Boeing 747SP at Wellington Airport in the 1980s.

Qantas was established in New Zealand in 1940, when Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), formed by Qantas, Imperial Airways, and a partnership of Union Airways of New Zealand and the New Zealand Government, inaugurated a weekly service between Sydney and Auckland.

It used Shorts Empire Flying Boats, which seated a maximum of 15 passengers and took around nine hours to travel from Auckland to Sydney.

Boeing 767-238 joined Qantas fleet 1985.

Captain R. F. Uren (captain of aircraft) and Captain R. A. Gray after flying Qantas' first jet to Christchurch from Sydney on April 10, 1965.

Qantas brochure from the 1960s advertising flights to New Zealand.

A Qantas brochure from 1965 advertising flights to New Zealand.

Passengers boarding the Qantas airliner City of Geelong at Christchurch Airport on the first westward flight of the new Tasman jet service. April 1965

In October 1961, Qantas began operations in its own right across the Tasman jointly with TEAL, serviced by Lockheed L188 Electra turboprops. The inaugural service flew from Sydney to Wellington and was seen off by Sir Hudson and New Zealand Prime Minister Keith Holyoake at the time.

In 1981, Qantas was the only all-Boeing 747 airline in the world and took delivery of the 747SP especially to operate into the shorter runway at Wellington Airport.

Sixty years later, Qantas Group, which includes Jetstar, operates over 350 flights per week within and from New Zealand, with over 20 international routes connecting passengers to over 100 destinations on the airline’s network including Australia, South Africa, Asia, the Americas and the UK.

To mark the milestone, Qantas has revealed a collection of never-before-seen historical content from its official archives, giving Kiwis a unique look at the evolution of the airline’s operations in New Zealand.