Qantas Airways announced on Monday, Dec. 8, that a new flight route from the Gold Coast (OOL) in Australia to Auckland (AKL), New Zealand, will begin operations on June 16, 2026, with three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Another service will fly from Sydney (SYD) to Apia (APW), Samoa, via Auckland, operating on alternate days to Qantas’s Brisbane-Samoa route.
Operating on a Boeing 737, the Gold Coast-Auckland route will add 52,000 seats annually to the air crossing of the Tasman Sea, with economy fare tickets starting at AU$364.
Qantas will also become the only airline offering business class between the Gold Coast and Auckland.
Boosting tourism both ways
After almost five years, the new flights to Auckland mark the return of international services by Qantas to the Gold Coast, regarded as Queensland’s capital of tourism.
Cam Wallace, CEO of Qantas International, said in a statement:
“Today marks a huge milestone for the Gold Coast with Qantas international services returning after almost five years. There’s been real demand for a premium option to Auckland and we’re the only airline offering business class on this route.”
The announcement came as Qantas is preparing to open a new international lounge at Auckland Airport on Dec. 17, and just as it began flights from Perth, Australia, to Johannesburg, South Africa, and to Auckland.
Queensland Airports Limited CEO Amelia Evans said:
“Auckland is already our most popular international route, with more than 320,000 passengers travelling between the two destinations annually.”
Evans added that the route will give passengers more options and strengthen “our position as Australia’s most connected airport to New Zealand.”
According to Qantas, passengers landing in Auckland will be able to connect to four other domestic destinations in New Zealand on its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar, including Christchurch, Queenstown, and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.
Qantas’s expansion in the New Zealand market comes as the Australian airline intensifies its competition with major rival Air New Zealand.
Do you plan on crossing the Tasman any time soon? Will the new routes make a difference for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
