Qantas & Jetstar Now Operate 80% Of Australia’s 10 Longest Routes To New Zealand

Qantas has recently unveiled that it will join the competition for passengers between Perth and Auckland, the longest route between Australia and New Zealand. Currently, only one other airline, which has very close ties to the latter country, is flying the 5,349-kilometer (2,288-nautical mile) route, with at least daily flights being planned for the remainder of 2025.

However, while flights between Perth and Auckland, which Qantas estimated to be 6 hours and 45 minutes, are by far the longest itineraries between the two countries, there are several other routes, including new additions, that could be considered at least medium-haul hops across the Tasman Sea. Here is how the newest route fits into the picture of flights between Australia and New Zealand.

More Than Six Hours From Perth To Auckland

On May 6, Qantas, Australia’s de facto flag carrier, announced that it would be flying from Perth Airport

(PER) to Auckland Airport

(AKL) starting on December 8. The thrice-weekly service would be operated by an Airbus A330-200,

offering 27 business (1-2-1 configuration with direct aisle access) and 224 economy class seats.

There is perhaps a reason why Qantas chose to highlight the fact that the business-class cabin on the A330s that would be deployed between Perth and Auckland not only offers direct aisle access but is also equipped with seats that convert into lie-flat beds since the flight is scheduled for around 6 hours and 45 minutes. Cam Wallace, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qantas International, said that with the direct connection between Perth and Auckland, as well as Perth and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), the airline is supporting the local economy by opening valuable inbound tourism opportunities for Western Australia.

“Our new Perth to Auckland route offers a convenient one-stop connection for West Australians to New York via Auckland on our popular QF3 service, while the new direct flight to Johannesburg provides a vital connection for customers in Perth to visit popular cities like Cape Town through our partnership with Airlink.”

The Route’s Competitive Landscape

Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool showed that Air New Zealand has pretty much dominated the route with a monopoly since at least the 2000s, when it flew between Perth and Auckland with a Boeing 767. Now, Air New Zealand has up to nine weekly departures on the route, deploying its 787-9 to fly the six-hour trek.

Between December 2013 and January 2014, and December 2014 and January 2018, Qantas also had up to two weekly departures from Perth to Auckland, operating the seasonal itineraries with an A330-200. Meanwhile, Batik Air’s Malaysian subsidiary, which is part of the Lion Air Group, also offered one-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport

(KUL) to Auckland via Perth.

Batik Air Malaysia operated the flights, which were scheduled with up to daily departures, between September 2023 and July 2024, with three weekly flights during the latter month. Seemingly, Qantas saw a gap following the Malaysian low-cost carrier’s exit. At the same time, it cited convenient connections from Perth to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport

(JFK) via its QF3 service, which originates at Sydney Airport (SYD), stops in Auckland, and continues to New York-JFK.

However, Qantas’ inaugural flights on December 8 are scheduled to land in Auckland at 04:45 local time (UTC +13), while QF3 is timed to depart the New Zealand airport at 16:55, which is quite a lengthy connection time. Analytic Flying first pointed out the connection time on Bluesky.

As an alternative, Air New Zealand offers direct flights from Auckland to New York-JFK, which depart the former at 19:15. In actuality, that’s an even worse connection timing, including the fact that Qantas’ Perth-Auckland flights are scheduled to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, with the itinerary overlapping with Air New Zealand’s flights to New York-JFK only on Mondays (other departure days are Thursdays and Saturdays), according to Cirium’s Diio Mi.

Another Newcomer Between Cairns And Christchurch

The longest route list between Australia and New Zealand has another newcomer at the number two spot, with Jetstar

launching its flights between Cairns Airport (CNS) and Christchurch International Airport (CHC) on April 1. Compared to the 5,349-km (2,288-NMI) departure from Perth to Auckland, Jetstar’s newest route is scheduled at a distance of 3,883 km (2,096 NMI), according to Cirium’s Diio Mi.

The tool also showed that since at least 2000, no other airline had operated the route until Jetstar began flying it with an A320ceo on April 1. Celebrating the route’s launch, the Australian low-cost carrier, part of Qantas Group, said that it will also add flights from Hamilton Airport (HLZ) to Sydney (starting June 16) and Gold Coast Airport (OOL, starting June 18), and from Dunedin Airport (DUD) to Gold Coast (starting June 24).

Jenn Armor, the Executive Manager of Customers at Jetstar Airways, remarked that the flights between Cairns and Christchurch would provide around 70,000 seats annually, boosting tourism opportunities for both countries. “Our first return service on the Christchurch to Cairns route is a proud moment for us as we continue to expand in New Zealand, and we’re thrilled to see the enthusiasm from both Kiwis and Australians,” Armor added, noting that the route links two stunning destinations also highlighting Jetstar’s dedication to providing low-cost tickets.

25 Unique Routes

According to Cirium’s Diio Mi, between April and December, there will be 25 unique routes connecting Australia and New Zealand. The figure includes seasonal connections and routes in a one-stop itinerary, such as Emirates’

flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Christchurch via Sydney.

In terms of length, the two aforementioned itineraries, namely Qantas (and Air New Zealand’s) connection between Perth and Auckland, followed by Jetstar’s itinerary from Cairns to Christchurch, top the list. Two other routes have a scheduled distance of more than 3,000 km (1,619 NMI), namely Air New Zealand’s

flights between Cairns and Auckland (3,619 km, 1,954 NMI) and the same airline’s departures from Adelaide Airport (ADL) to Auckland (3,259 km, 1,759 NMI).

Flights between Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Christchurch just missed the top ten list by 4 km (2.1 NMI), with the itinerary having a scheduled distance of 2,420 km (1,306 NMI). Air New Zealand, Jetstar, and Qantas have scheduled flights on the route throughout 2025.

In addition, Virgin Australia

only has three routes from Australia to New Zealand throughout the year. The Australian airline is offering flights from Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney to Queenstown Airport (ZQN), offering little competition to its primary adversaries in the country, Qantas or Jetstar, the former’s low-cost carrier.

Still, in June 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) authorized Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia’s codeshare agreement, enabling the airlines to sell tickets on each other’s flights on trans-Tasman Sea routes. The ACCC allowed Virgin Australia to place its designator code on Air New Zealand’s flights that originate and are sold in Australia and fly across the Tasman Sea.

At the time, Mick Keogh, the Deputy Chair of the ACCC, said that the two airlines sharing resources would provide consumers with more ticketing and pricing options on routes connecting Australia and New Zealand. Keogh added that the two airlines would also be able to jointly offer discounts and a range of marketing options to businesses, while eligible Virgin Australia customers would have access to benefits provided by the airline’s Velocity frequent flyer program,

as well as international lounge access.

“The [codesharing] arrangements do not apply to routes where Virgin Australia is currently, or decides to start, operating its own services in competition with Air New Zealand,” Keogh concluded. According to Cirium’s Diio Mi, Air New Zealand has planned flights on two overlapping trans-Tasman routes with Virgin Australia only, namely from Melbourne and Sydney to Queenstown.