Queensland gets year-round flights with Air New Zealand to Gold Coast, Cairns, Sunshine Coast

Sunshine by lunchtime: Air New Zealand will be flying up to 26000 additional seats between New Zealand and Queensland. Photo / Supplied, Sunshine Coast

Having reached an agreement with the state of Queensland, the national carrier says it will be boosting flights with an additional 26000 seats through until May, next year.

The airline's sales officer Leanne Geraghty said that flights from Auckland to Cairns and the Sunshine Coast, and Christchurch-Gold Coast, would now be year round.

This represents 10 percent increase in services, for the airline that carries half of the Australian state's 500,000 annual visitors from New Zealand.

"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.

Sunshine Coast: Air New Zealand will be helping Kiwis top up on winter sun by boosting air links to Queensland. Photo / Supplied

The year-round routes will not only help Kiwi sun seekers but also hopes to bring more visitors from the state to New Zealand during winter and shoulder tourist seasons.

"We know Queenslanders also love to visit New Zealand, with nearly 400,000 crossing the Tasman in 2019 to take advantage of the winter ski season or visit friends and relatives."

The state's tourism minister Stirling Hinchcliffe welcomed the move, saying that "extended season flights will be landing on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, and the Tropical North to get your holiday started sooner."

Following the reconfiguring of the state's airports for the quarantine-free travel arrangement, Hinchcliffe says they have followed best advice to make Queensland a safe destination.

Hinchcliffe said that the direct flights had been secured as part of the Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan, and will be added to the end of the winter seasonal service – that begins on Monday 28 June with up to three departures a week.

Year round sun on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Photo / Tourism Queensland

"New Zealand has always been a very important visitor mix to our tourism industry and the destination's economy," said Tourism Noosa's chief executive Melanie Anderson, who was looking forward to "sharing our beautiful sunny winter days, sparkling beaches and rolling green countryside".

"Year-round flights mean Queensland is always good to go."