The first stage of Jetstar’s expansion in New Zealand is underway, with the airline launching new flights between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore) this morning.
Jetstar flight JQ176 will depart Auckland at 6.15am (NZT) and arrive on the Sunshine Coast at 6.45am (AEST).
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.
It will be the only year-round service between the two cities and boost tourism economies on both sides of the Tasman.
NZ growth
Today’s new service is the first of five new routes set to launch in New Zealand between now and June 2025, as Jetstar embarks on the biggest expansion of its operations in the country in more than a decade.
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.
Fleet expansion
To support this network growth, Jetstar is expanding its fleet in New Zealand, with an additional Airbus A320 aircraft set to arrive in Christchurch on Sunday, increasing the airline’s local fleet to eight.
The additional aircraft will provide an important boost to Jetstar’s operations over the busy Christmas travel period, increasing capacity on key domestic routes and supporting the start of daily flights from Christchurch to Melbourne and Christchurch to the Gold Coast.
This increased trans-Tasman frequency will also provide customers with better access to Jetstar’s extensive low-cost international network out of Australia.
Christmas sale
To coincide with today’s launch, Jetstar has one-way sale fares from Auckland to the Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore) from $175^, available on Jetstar.com.
The fares are part of the airline’s Crack-up Christmas sale, which launched on Wednesday and includes more than 65,000 discounted fares across Jetstar’s entire New Zealand network.
Jetstar Group CEO, Stephanie Tully said it was really exciting to be embarking on a significant expansion in Aotearoa.
“2024 has been a huge year for us in New Zealand and today’s route launch is the beginning of an exciting period of growth,” Ms Tully said.
“With another aircraft arriving in Christchurch on Sunday and four more trans-Tasman routes launching in the next six months, we’re excited to be adding capacity and cementing our role as the leading low fares carrier in the country.”
Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said this flight enables better access between the Sunshine Coast and Auckland, which will significantly benefit the region.
“These regular flights, supported through the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund, are expected to create more than 29,000 new inbound seats each year to the Sunshine Coast.
“Queensland welcomes the most visitors from New Zealand than any other country in the world, so we are proud to prioritise making this travel as easy and direct as possible.
“Our Kiwi neighbours can now get from the tarmac to the beaches quicker than ever, whether staying in Maroochydore or Noosa. Our 20-year tourism plan focuses on improving our accessibility and connectivity to the rest of the world, and this is a great example of this in action.”
FLIGHT SCHEDULE
Auckland to Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore)
From 13 December 2024
Flight Frequency From To Depart Arrive
| JQ176 | Tue, Fri, Sun | AKL | MCY | 6:15 | 06:45 |
| JQ175 | Tue, Fri, Sun | MCY | AKL | 08:00 | 14:10 |
