Qantas will soon operate flights between Adelaide and Auckland

Qantas has announced plans to offer a new non-stop service between Auckland and Adelaide. The airline will fly the route four times per week using a Boeing 737-800, commencing October 31, 2025.

A Qantas Boeing 737-800 that will operate the new route | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

The airline will begin seasonal direct flights four times per week between Auckland and Adelaide on October 31 through to May 3, 2026. The route will operate using Qantas’ fleet of Boeing 737-800s that the airline uses frequently on trans-tasman flights.

The flight to Adelaide, QF176 will operate on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and last just shy of five hours. The return, QF175 will also operate Friday through Monday and last slightly more than four hours.

Air New Zealand is currently the only airline that offers a direct route from New Zealand to Adelaide, flying non-stop between the cities four times a week using their Airbus A320NEO jets.

Once launched, the new routes will introduce over 110,000 more seats between Australia and New Zealand each year, increasing Qantas’ capacity to Auckland by almost 10%.

Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said, “Direct flights between Auckland and Adelaide are back on the Qantas international network for the first time in 20 years and we couldn’t be more excited.” Wallace said the addition is in response to strong demand from Kiwis looking to explore more of Australia.

This is the second New Zealand route announcement Qantas has made this month. Last week, it confirmed direct flights between Auckland and Perth. Both announcements are part of the airline’s push to grow its international network from New Zealand and strengthen competition with Air New Zealand on trans-tasman routes.