Qantas to revive direct Auckland to Perth flights, second major carrier to fly route

Qantas will use Airbus A330s from its fleet for newly announced flights to Auckland and Johannesburg from Perth. Photo / Supplied

• Qantas will launch a non-stop service connecting Auckland to Perth in December.
• The route, starting December 8, is part of Qantas’ network expansion and will operate three times a week.
• Air New Zealand remains the only other airline offering direct Auckland to Perth flights.

Qantas has revived a popular non-stop service to New Zealand, connecting Perth to Auckland in time for this year’s Christmas holidays.

The new route was announced by Australia’s largest airline this morning and forms part of its latest network expansion in the country’s fourth-largest city.

Qantas also revealed a new international service between Australia and South Africa, which will fly travellers from Perth to Johannesburg.

The two new routes will each operate three days a week on Airbus A330s.

Set to take off at the beginning of summer, they’ll add 155,000 new seats to and from Western Australia’s capital city.

The inaugural flight to Auckland hits the skies on December 8, with the Johannesburg-bound service launching on December 7.

Kiwis can fly between Auckland and Perth with Qantas from December 8.

With Perth often used as a stopover for Kiwis travelling long-haul to Africa or Europe, Qantas said the two new routes will “enable further international connectivity for New Zealand and South Africa”.

New Zealanders are able to book their seats on Qantas’ newly announced flights from today.

Air New Zealand is currently the only airline that offers Kiwis a direct route from New Zealand to Perth.

The flag carrier operates a non-stop service from Auckland year-round, and a seasonal service between Perth and Christchurch flies twice weekly from December to April.

Qantas previously ran a seasonal Perth-Auckland service, but flights between the cities ended in January 2018.

Today’s announcement confirms speculation Qantas’ rival route would return after the airline secured a multi-billion dollar agreement with Perth Airport, which saw both parties promising to invest in the region’s tourism growth.

As part of the deal, Perth Airport plans to spend billions on new airport infrastructure, including upgrades to Terminals 3 and 4, where Qantas’ domestic and international flights take off and land.

Meanwhile, Qantas would add 4.4 million seats to and from the city by 2031, and has come to describe Perth as the airline’s “western hub”.

Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.