Air New Zealand is expanding its Hobart-Auckland service by increasing available seat capacity by 28% compared to the previous year. The service will operate three times per week from Oct. 25, 2026 to late April 2027, with a fourth weekly flight added between Feb. 27 and March 20, 2027.
Expanding Hobart-Auckland Service
The Air New Zealand service will cover the Easter period and school holiday traffic. The flights in this service will total up to 170 flights and over 33,000 seats in the 2026-27 season, an increase of 36 flights and 7,268 seats compared to the 2025-26 season. This is an overall increase of 27% to the number of flights, and 28% to seats.
The seasonal service has been added to support passenger demand of the Hobart-Auckland route. Data compiled by FlightUnpacked from the Australian Government’s Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) show that the Auckland-Hobart route recorded an 82% load factor in the year leading up to March 2026, while the Hobart-Auckland route recorded an 85% load factor.
A Closer Look at the Tasmania-New Zealand Network
The Tasmanian Government mentioned that the expanded service reflects growing demand for Tasmania from international visitors. The expanded service will provide additional capacity between Tasmania and New Zealand along with connections to the United States.
The direct service takes around 3.5 hours, according to the Tasmanian Government. Marcus Vermey, Tasmania’s Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business, said,
“From Auckland, travellers can explore attractions, national parks and water sports across New Zealand, or connect onwards to destinations including New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver, without the need to transit through Melbourne or Sydney.”
The expanded service will give passengers more capacity to travel between Hobart and Auckland while providing connections to Air New Zealand’s wider international network.
Would you consider using Hobart-Auckland as a connection to North America? Let us know in the comments!
