Maroochydore Beach on the Sunshine Coast which will be a year round destination. Photo / Supplied
Maroochydore Beach on the Sunshine Coast which will be a year round destination. Photo / Supplied
Air New Zealand is set to fly year-round to popular Queensland destinations Cairns, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.
Under an agreement with the Queensland Government the existing April to October seasonal services move to year-round flights through to May 2022.
Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty says the new flights will mean 26,000 seats will be available across the three Queensland destinations.
Auckland-Cairns, Auckland-Sunshine Coast and Christchurch-Gold Coast now become year-round.
This marks the first time Kiwi holidaymakers will be able to travel with the airline to the Sunshine Coast all year.
Air New Zealand flew around half of the 500,000 trips taken from New Zealand to Queensland in 2019.
Extending to year-round operations means all the experiences Queensland has to offer, be it theme parks, shopping, white sand beaches or the Great Barrier Reef, are now viable options for New Zealanders no matter the month, she said.
Nearly 400,000 Queenslanders came to New Zealand in 2019 to take advantage of the winter ski season or visit friends and relatives.
''The additional services and good connections onto our domestic network mean Queenslanders will be able to explore more of New Zealand during the shoulder season."
Qantas has also opened up more Queensland services, flying to the Gold Coast and Cairns from Auckland.
Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the state had been able to move to year-round direct flights across the Tasman because it had followed the expert medical advice to make Queensland a safe destination.
An Air New Zealand A320 on the Sunshine Coast. Photo / Supplied
On the Sunshine Coast, a new runway capable of carrying (and sending back) full loads has made the service more viable.
Visit Sunshine Coast chief executive Matt Stoeckel said before the pandemic New Zealand was the region's number one international market with 84,000 annual visitors, 650,000 room nights and an economic value of $110 million.
"The recommencement of our Auckland service provides an incredible opportunity to grow our important Kiwi market. Not only are they our largest market, but they also travel to the region when we need them the most ( over winter).''
