The Adelaide Fringe Festival, set for February 20 to March 22, is among the city's big summer events. Photo / File
The first direct Qantas flight between Adelaide and Auckland in nearly 20 years landed this afternoon.
The flight from Adelaide arrived at 3.24pm, and the return flight from Auckland is expected to leave at 4.30pm.
Among the passengers was Dr Jo Ankor, a philosopher and performing artist from Adelaide.
She is returning to Adelaide to start rehearsals for the city’s Christmas pageant.
“I have to be back in time to be part of this pageant.”
She said she had been in New Zealand on holiday for two weeks and would come back.
“The greenery and the geography and the geology and the mountains and the sea - it’s absolutely beautiful.”
Adelaide is Australia’s fifth-largest city, with about 1.8 million people and the majority of South Australia’s population.
Cam Wallace, chief executive of Qantas International and Freight, said the airline had detected strong demand for travel across the Tasman.
The new flights should be a boon for the New Zealand tourism industry, providing more choice and access to customers.
Emma Terry, South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive, said the new service reflected growing demand from Kiwi travellers.
She said tourism attractions included Adelaide’s events and bars, the Barossa and Clare Valley wine regions and the Flinders Ranges and Eyre Peninsula.
Some people might already be familiar with the Adelaide Festival, which is set for February 27 to March 15.
South Australia might not have the big cities or large expat populations of the eastern seaboard states, but Terry indicated it 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.
She said tourism spending was up, and Kiwis were staying longer, with the average trip lasting 11 nights.
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said, “I want to congratulate Qantas for strengthening ties with New Zealand and supporting tourism growth.
“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.
Qantas’ 737-800s have 12 business class seats and 162 in economy.
“The 737 is a faithful workhorse of the Qantas fleet,” said Michael Gulliver, Qantas regional general manager for New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
“It’s got in-flight Wi-Fi, which is fast and free.”
Qantas tried the Auckland-Adelaide route years ago but ditched it in 2007, saying demand was insufficient.
So why try again now?
“The demand from the customer base is basically what seems to have picked up a little bit, and the scenario of more Kiwis and Aussies wanting to travel after Covid,” Gulliver told the Herald as the inaugural flight landed.
“New Zealand’s an attractive place for the Australians to come to, and I think the Kiwis have been cooped up a bit long and want something different to go to as well.
“So now’s a good time, especially now that we’ve got more aircraft and we can actually put this route into play.”
The new route will operate four times a week until May 3, competing with Air New Zealand.
The flights take about four hours and 50 minutes.
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.
“Any link across the Tasman is significant for us,” said Billie Moore, New Zealand Airports Association chief executive.
Australia was 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.”
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 next year from Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown to Sydney and Melbourne.
That, in turn, follows a big push from Jetstar.
Last month, Jetstar launched its biggest expansion yet of New Zealand and transtasman routes.
They include more frequent Auckland-Brisbane and Auckland-Sydney flights, and 26,000 more seats on Christchurch-Melbourne services.
Air New Zealand already flies between Auckland and Adelaide and started its first Christchurch–Adelaide service this week.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.