Qantas' major trans-Tasman expansion

As part of the expansion, the Qantas Group will add hundreds of thousands of additional seats between New Zealand and Australia, providing more choice and convenience for customers and supporting tourism and economic growth in both markets.

First A220 international service

From February 2026, Qantas will begin flying its state-of-the art A220 aircraft on flights between Wellington and Brisbane, marking the first time the aircraft will fly on an international route.

The A220 will initially operate up to three times a week, replacing the E190 aircraft that currently operate on the route, as well as some Boeing 737 services.

The new aircraft is significantly more fuel efficient than previous generation aircraft and offers customers a more comfortable travel experience with a light and bright cabin design, large windows and overhead lockers and fast free Wi-Fi available on flights.

New Jetstar route: Queenstown - Brisbane

Jetstar will begin direct flights between Queenstown and Brisbane from June 2026, giving Kiwis more choice to escape the cold and explore sunny Brisbane in just under four hours.

The service will operate three times a week during the winter season (June to October) on Jetstar's A320neo aircraft, offering more than 17,000 low fare seats each year.

Almost 210,000 more seats across the Tasman

Qantas and Jetstar will add almost 210,000 seats between New Zealand and Australia next year across four routes, including:

Qantas

• Christchurch – Sydney: Up to two additional flights per week during February and March, adding 5,000 seats

Jetstar

• Auckland – Brisbane: increasing from up to ten per week to twice daily (99,000 additional seats per year)
• Christchurch – Melbourne: increasing to daily year-round (26,000 additional seats per year)
• Auckland – Sydney: increasing from up to eight per week to up to 12 per week (79,000 additional seats per year)

This additional capacity builds on the significant growth the Qantas Group announced between New Zealand and Australia earlier this year, including new routes and additional seasonal capacity.

The growth will see the Qantas Group offer nearly 800,000 more seats in the 2026 financial year compared to the previous year.