Jetstar kicks off largest New Zealand expansion in a decade with new routes and extra capacity

Midway through 2024, Jetstar announced its first major New Zealand expansion in over a decade. The big move is on track to include five new routes across the Tasman as well as an increase in domestic services across New Zealand.

A Jetstar Airbus A320 departing the Gold Coast | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

The new expansion includes five new trans-Tasman routes set to begin in the next few months; Auckland to Sunshine Coast, Hamilton to Gold Coast, Hamilton to Sydney, Christchurch to Cairns, and Dunedin to Gold Coast. Combined, the new routes will unlock around 330,000 low fare seats for travellers every year, providing Kiwis with more choice and low fares when it comes to flying.  

The first of the new routes to operate began passenger service on December 13th with the Auckland to Sunshine Coast flight taking to the skies. The new service will operate up to three times a week using the airline’s fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft and provide more than 58,000 new low fares seats for travellers every year. The flight will be the only year-round service between the two cities and boost tourism economies on both sides of the Tasman.  

Along with the new route from the Sunshine Coast, Jetstar announced the launch of two new routes from the Gold Coast, offering new direct flights to Hamilton and Dunedin in New Zealand starting from June 2025. Both new services will take off three times a week, creating more than 115,000 new seats every year across the Tasman and providing a multi-million-dollar boost to the Gold Coast’s tourism industry. 

In addition to the new flights from Hamilton to the Gold Coast, the airline will also commence flights to Sydney to/from Hamilton four times per week also beginning in June next year. It will be the first time Jetstar has flown to the city of Hamilton, giving Australians a second gateway to the North Island and convenient access to holiday hot spots like Rotorua, and the Bay of Plenty. Hamilton Airport first received international flights in the mid 1990s however due to a lack of demand, all trans-Tasman flights from Hamilton ceased in 2012.

Jetstar’s A320 departing on a flight to Auckland | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

In the South Island, Jetstar is launching two new routes.

Starting in April next year, Jetstar’s three weekly services from Christchurch to Cairns will be the first ever direct service between the two cities and offer over 70,000 seats for Kiwis and Aussies travelling from the South of New Zealand to the North of Australia. The flights will operate three times weekly year round using Jetstar’s brand new Airbus A321NEO jets

Taking off in June 2025, Jetstar will fly from the hot and sunny, Gold Coast to the more temperate Dunedin Airport. The flight will operate three times a week between the two cities. This new route marks the renewal of international flights to Dunedin for the first time since 2020 when Virgin Australia suspended flights to the city. The new service between the Gold Coast and Dunedin will boost access to the South Island’s second largest city and provide more options for people to road trip across New Zealand by flying into one part of the country and out of another on Jetstar’s network. 

In addition to the new routes, Jetstar will adjust its Christchurch to Melbourne flight times to improve connectivity to its long-haul international network. The low-cost carrier has also announced it will increase capacity on key domestic routes, starting with Christchurch to Auckland and Auckland to Wellington. It’s also planning to further grow its New Zealand domestic operations in the next 12 months.

A Jetstar A320 landing | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

To support the airlines growth, Jetstar is expanding its local fleet in New Zealand, with an additional Airbus A320 aircraft set to arrive in Christchurch on Sunday, increasing the airline’s New Zealand fleet to eight. 

It’s the first time Jetstar has expanded its jet fleet in New Zealand in more than 10 years.

The additional A320 aircraft will provide an important boost to Jetstar’s operations over the busy Christmas holiday travel period, increasing capacity on key domestic and international routes.

The new aircraft means a 35% increase in seat capacity across the Tasman and a 21% increase in seat capacity on their existing domestic routes.

Gordon Bevan, Christchurch Airport’s aeronautical development general manager said its numbers show a strong demand for Jetstar’s services.