Singapore Airlines has announced its "Capital Express" route, which will make the first direct flight from Wellington to Canberra and then on to Singapore four days per week on a Boeing 777.
The widely anticipated announcement will not involve codesharing with Singapore Airlines' Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand, though Virgin Australia will codeshare the flight's Canberra-Singapore leg.
Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the service would have significant benefits for the Wellington economy and the tourism sector, and is expected to generate $95 million in visitor expenditure and add around $44 million to the national economy.
Wellington Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson said the service linked Australia's and New Zealand's capital cities together "with the most efficient onward connections to Singapore and beyond".
"Wellington's connections will be greatly improved, and travellers will be able to stay on the same widebody plane all the way to Singapore and connect onwards to Asia, Europe and other parts of the world from their award-winning global hub, Changi Airport," Sanderson said.
