Air New Zealand’s inaugural Christchurch-to-Adelaide service landed at 09:15 local time today, opening the first direct South Island connection to South Australia. The seasonal route will operate twice weekly until late March 2026 using Airbus A321neo aircraft configured with 214 seats, offering South Islanders a non-stop link to Adelaide’s wine regions and burgeoning defence-tech sector.
The move comes days before Qantas begins its own Adelaide-Auckland flights, signalling renewed competition for trans-Tasman corporate traffic. Air NZ CEO Greg Foran said leased Pratt & Whitney engines had “dragged a couple of aircraft out of the sin-bin,” enabling the carrier to redeploy capacity despite ongoing supply-chain issues.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas hailed the flight as “a game-changer for two-way investment,” noting that visitors from New Zealand already spend nearly AUD 100 million annually in the state. The South Australian Tourism Commission forecasts the new link could lift Kiwi arrivals by 20 per cent over the peak summer period.
For exporters, the service offers same-day delivery of chilled seafood to Christchurch and opens new freight options for South Island agritech firms eyeing Australian defence contracts in Adelaide’s shipbuilding precinct. Business chambers on both sides are planning a February “reverse trade mission” to leverage the route.
The move comes days before Qantas begins its own Adelaide-Auckland flights, signalling renewed competition for trans-Tasman corporate traffic. Air NZ CEO Greg Foran said leased Pratt & Whitney engines had “dragged a couple of aircraft out of the sin-bin,” enabling the carrier to redeploy capacity despite ongoing supply-chain issues.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas hailed the flight as “a game-changer for two-way investment,” noting that visitors from New Zealand already spend nearly AUD 100 million annually in the state. The South Australian Tourism Commission forecasts the new link could lift Kiwi arrivals by 20 per cent over the peak summer period.
For exporters, the service offers same-day delivery of chilled seafood to Christchurch and opens new freight options for South Island agritech firms eyeing Australian defence contracts in Adelaide’s shipbuilding precinct. Business chambers on both sides are planning a February “reverse trade mission” to leverage the route.
