Qantas Group kicked off the new year with a strategic capacity play across the Tasman, announcing on 8 January 2026 a bundle of route and frequency upgrades that will inject almost 210,000 extra seats between Australia and New Zealand over the next 12 months. The headline item is the deployment of Qantas’ brand-new Airbus A220 on the Brisbane-Wellington route from February 2026 – the first time the 137-seat narrow-body will operate beyond Australia’s borders. The A220 will replace Embraer E190s and some Boeing 737 rotations, cutting fuel burn by up to 28 per cent while offering passengers larger windows, fast Wi-Fi and USB-C charging at every seat.
Low-cost subsidiary Jetstar will add a brand-new three-times-weekly Brisbane–Queenstown route from June 2026, tapping robust leisure demand from Queensland skiers and New Zealand holiday-makers. Jetstar is also boosting Brisbane–Auckland to double-daily, lifting Melbourne–Christchurch to daily and expanding Sydney–Auckland to up to 12 flights a week. On the mainline side, Qantas will add two Sydney–Christchurch flights each week during the February–March shoulder peak.
![Qantas unveils trans-Tasman surge with first A220 international flight and new Brisbane–Queenstown service]()
Before locking in those extra flights, however, travellers should make sure their paperwork is in order. VisaHQ’s quick online platform (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can arrange the New Zealand eTA or the appropriate Australian visa in minutes, providing real-time status tracking and support for both leisure and corporate passengers.
For corporate travel managers the expansion offers tighter connection windows and greater fare-bucket inventory, especially in business class, where trans-Tasman capacity has lagged demand since late-2024. Procurement teams should revisit contracted fare caps, as the extra inventory could unlock lower net-net rates. Freight shippers will likewise gain belly-hold space, particularly on the A220 whose weight-efficient design allows more cargo on medium-haul hops.
Queensland’s tourism operators stand to benefit from a direct link to Queenstown during the winter season, while Wellington’s tech sector gains smoother access to Brisbane’s growing start-up scene. Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the expansion aligns with “a record year of growth in New Zealand,” and sets the stage for further A220 deployments to Pacific islands and Southeast Asia once additional aircraft join the fleet.
Low-cost subsidiary Jetstar will add a brand-new three-times-weekly Brisbane–Queenstown route from June 2026, tapping robust leisure demand from Queensland skiers and New Zealand holiday-makers. Jetstar is also boosting Brisbane–Auckland to double-daily, lifting Melbourne–Christchurch to daily and expanding Sydney–Auckland to up to 12 flights a week. On the mainline side, Qantas will add two Sydney–Christchurch flights each week during the February–March shoulder peak.
Before locking in those extra flights, however, travellers should make sure their paperwork is in order. VisaHQ’s quick online platform (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can arrange the New Zealand eTA or the appropriate Australian visa in minutes, providing real-time status tracking and support for both leisure and corporate passengers.
For corporate travel managers the expansion offers tighter connection windows and greater fare-bucket inventory, especially in business class, where trans-Tasman capacity has lagged demand since late-2024. Procurement teams should revisit contracted fare caps, as the extra inventory could unlock lower net-net rates. Freight shippers will likewise gain belly-hold space, particularly on the A220 whose weight-efficient design allows more cargo on medium-haul hops.
Queensland’s tourism operators stand to benefit from a direct link to Queenstown during the winter season, while Wellington’s tech sector gains smoother access to Brisbane’s growing start-up scene. Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the expansion aligns with “a record year of growth in New Zealand,” and sets the stage for further A220 deployments to Pacific islands and Southeast Asia once additional aircraft join the fleet.
