Emma Terry, South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive, said the new service reflected growing demand from Kiwi travellers.
She said local tourism attractions included Adelaide’s events and bars, the Barossa and Clare Valley wine regions and the Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula.
Some people may already be familiar with the Adelaide Festival, which is set for February 27 to March 15.
South Australia may not have the bigger cities or large expat populations of the eastern seaboard states but Terry indicated the state was resonating with Kiwi travellers.
New Zealand was the equal second-largest international market for the state, tied with China and just behind the UK.
Terry said tourism spend was up and Kiwis were staying longer too, with the average trip length 11 nights.
“I want to congratulate Qantas for strengthening ties with New Zealand and supporting tourism growth,” Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said.
“I hope South Australians make the most of this opportunity and experience everything New Zealand has to offer.”
The Auckland-Adelaide flights are on the Boeing 737-800, a large narrowbody twinjet.
A Qantas Boeing 737-800 (left) coming in to land next to a 787 Dreamliner. Photo / David Gray, AFP
Qantas’ 737-800s have 12 business class seats and 162 in economy.
The new route will operate four times a week until May 3.
Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said the new service would give South Australians the quickest way to get to New York.
That’s because the Qantas QF3 service flies from Auckland to New York.
That flight takes about 16 hours and 15 minutes, on a 787 Dreamliner.
Tasker said the Qantas Adelaide-Auckland flights would add an extra 36,000 seats to the route.
The route was ditched in 2007 with Qantas at the time saying demand was insufficient.
“Any link across the Tasman is significant for us,” said Billie Moore, New Zealand Airports Association chief executive.
Australia is New Zealand’s biggest tourism market, and also the fastest one to stimulate, she said.
“The booking profile for Australia is much more nimble than for long-haul travel,” she told the Herald.
Qantas is also preparing for direct Auckland-Perth flights.
About 60,000 Perth residents were born in New Zealand but Qantas is also eyeing up the city as a springboard for Kiwis travelling to Europe.
Qantas flies Perth-London direct, its QF9 service on a 787-9 Dreamliner taking about 17 hours and 45 minutes.
And in another move, Qantas today announced more than 75 additional flights in April 2026 from Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown to Sydney and Melbourne.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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