Fares will range between $200 and $300 with some special offers available.
Hawke's Bay Airport chief executive Stuart Ainslie said the timing "couldn't be better" with the new terminal having opened last week.
It will accommodate the increasing number of flights and Originair's ticketing counter.
"It's great to be opening our new terminal and have a new airline partner come onboard at the same time – this significantly steps up our breadth of services to Hawke's Bay and incoming travellers."
Asked about the return of Jetstar services to the region, Ainslie said "our door is always open to additional operators in Hawke's Bay".
He said they had no indication whether it would return to the regional services, but nothing was ever off the table and the landscape was ripe for competition.
"The past has shown that competition is good for customer choice and fare prices."
The addition of the new airline means locals can travel to the three cities in around an hour or less, when previously it could take several flights and on occasion, up to eight hours including stop overs to reach their destination.
"We're particularly excited that Originair flights will make getting to the top of the South Island even more accessible for families travelling on a budget," Ainslie said.
Originair's CEO, Robert Inglis, said the direct routes between the regions would offer significant time savings for both business and leisure travellers.
He said the majority of flights would be to and from Nelson.
"There are strong connection between Nelson and Napier," he said, adding both had a strong focus on horticulture and as holiday destinations.
"I think there are a lot of opportunities where people would like to make an easy connection."
There would be a possibility for flights to increase taking into account what demand might be, though he noted there were only three months from when services start until Christmas.
Air New Zealand does offer flights to the three centres but they are via other airports such as Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch.
Inglis said there were challenges with these stop overs, evident today with bad weather in the capital causing flight cancellations.
Hawke's Bay Tourism chief executive Hamish Saxton said connectivity was critical for a sustainable and vibrant visitor economy.
"The launch of three new routes reflects the enduring appeal and experience offerings that Hawke's Bay presents to all visitors – and particularly to domestic."
It also reflected confidence in the region as New Zealand's food and wine country, he said.
"Kiwis come back time and time again for another taste - whether that be visiting anywhere from Pōrangahau in the south to Mōrere in the north, doing business, attending events and conferences, relaxing, adventuring, participating in cultural endeavours, or spending time with friends and family."
While difficult to estimate potential value or visitor spend, he said growth from each region during the most recent financial year had been positive.
Figures from Hawke's Bay Tourism show Manawatū/Whanganui visitors were the biggest spenders of the three centres in Hawke's Bay, bringing $39.9 million to the region, up 26 per cent on the previous year.
Visitor spend from Waikato visitors has the highest growth, up 41 per cent compared to last year and worth about $38.5m.
Both were key domestic audiences for both leisure and business travel, Saxton said.
"Increased connectivity between these regions could be immensely valuable.
"Nelson-Tasman is a region that has a lot of potential as a new leisure market.
"It is not traditionally a key market of Hawke's Bay's, and we would be building up from a small base, however that is also reflective of a lack of direct connectivity."
Visitor spend from the region was only $2.9m but had increased 23 per cent compared to last year.
