Air New Zealand’s seasonal Brisbane-Queenstown service has launched in time for the school holidays and ski season with thrice-weekly direct flights from now until 23 October 2026, adding 16,500 seats to the carrier’s trans-Tasman network.
The route will operate on Air New Zealand’s A320neo narrowbody jet aircraft, giving Queenslanders another nonstop path to Queenstown and sidestepping connections through Auckland or Christchurch.
The timing aligns with both the Queensland and New Zealand July school holiday periods, positioning the Brisbane-Queenstown service at families heading to the South Island ski fields.
It also arrives as Jetstar prepares to axe two Queensland-New Zealand routes from late 2026.
Brisbane Airport reports that strong demand for international travel, particularly to New Zealand, is set to drive the school holiday surge as families look for destinations closer to home.
New Zealand remains Brisbane’s top two-way international market, drawing 1.34 million passengers annually in the 12 months to March 2026.
The Brisbane-Queenstown seasonal service also lifts capacity from Australia’s east coast to Queenstown by 40 per cent over winter, a sign of how strongly the region is selling for the carrier.
Queenstown consistently tops the list of domestic holiday destinations in New Zealand over winter and the new flights make it easier to package ski and alpine getaways for Brisbane-based clients, who can now pair the slopes with new arrivals like Queenstown’s first central hot pools.
Air New Zealand General Manager Short Haul & Domestic Lucy Hall said the new Brisbane-Queenstown route reflects where travellers want to go.
“The increase in capacity and addition of our Queenstown–Brisbane route reflects the airline’s commitment to growing where Kiwi travellers want to go and providing more opportunities for visitors to access the beautiful South Island directly,” she said.
“These additional seats will not only help New Zealanders access Brisbane and Queensland more easily but will also support tourism in the South.”
A busy winter across the Air NZ network
Air New Zealand is preparing to welcome more than 730,000 travellers across its domestic and international network during the winter school holidays between 4 and 19 July.
“This new service is perfectly timed to align to the Queensland and New Zealand July school holiday period and we’re looking forward to welcoming families on board over this period,” Hall said.
Wellington is also set for a busy weekend as the All Blacks take on Italy on 11 July with more than 12,500 visitors expected to travel in and out of the capital across that weekend.
KARRYON UNPACKS: A direct Brisbane-Queenstown link timed to the ski season and school holidays gives advisors more product to sell for Queensland families chasing the snow. With east coast capacity to Queenstown up 40% this winter, the South Island just got more accessible from the Sunshine State.
