Virgin Australia is back on New Zealand soil with the restart of its operations to Queenstown (ZQN) from three major Australian cities. The airline’s last operation to New Zealand was on March 29, 2020, these services were suspended as a result of pandemic health restrictions.
“Australians and New Zealanders have a close bond and we are proud to create a new gateway between the countries for friends and family to visit, businesses to thrive and tourists to seek adventure with more choice and great value airfares,” said Jayne Hrdlicka, Virgin Australia Group chief executive officer.
“We are proud to continue to grow Virgin Australia’s international network, which now offers more than five hundred destinations worldwide. We have the most exceptional international airline partners, and they help us offer the best and easiest global destinations,” Hrdlicka added.
The company’s first service was Flight VA 115 operated on a Boeing 737 registered VH-YIL, which took off from Brisbane Airport (BNE) at 10:07 local time and landed at Queenstown Airport (ZQN) at 15:45, after two hours and 39 minutes.
Kia Ora, New Zealand! It’s just so✨wonderful✨to be back across the ditch. pic.twitter.com/TMI2IdDX9J
— Virgin Australia (@VirginAustralia) November 3, 2022
Virgin Australia’s schedule at Queenstown, New Zealand (ZQN)
The carrier will have 6,336 seats per month on offer between Australia and Queenstown (ZQN) in November.
Brisbane (BNE)
- Flight VA 115 BNE 09:35 – ZQN 16:05 daily flights.
- Flight VA 118 ZQN 16:55 – BNE 17:40 daily flights.
Melbourne (MEL)
- Flight VA 143 MEL 08:25 – ZQN 13:35 Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
- Flight VA 146 ZQN 14:30 – MEL 16:05 Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Sydney (SYD)
- Flight VA 161 SYD 09:50 – ZQN 14:50 daily flights.
- Flight VA 162 ZQN 15:40 – SYD 17:00 daily flights.
Route details
- All operations will be operated by Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft with 176 seats (8 Business Class/168 Economy).
- Service to Melbourne increases to daily flights from December 12, 2022, through January 29, 2023.
- Promotional fares are available from AUD 409.
According to data compiled by Aviacionline through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development, Virgin Australia moved 1,219,101 passengers and 1,735.3 tonnes of freight to/from New Zealand in the June 2018-2019 period, it was the third largest air operator in the Trans-Tasman market.
“Virgin Australia has continued to expand its international network in recent months, with the resumption of services to Bali (including the announcement of new direct services from Gold Coast), Fiji and New Zealand, and the announcement of direct services to Vanuatu and Samoa. Strategic airline partnerships with Qatar Airways and United Airlines have added to the strong existing partnerships with Singapore Airlines, ANA and Hawaiian Airlines” said Alistair Hartley, Virgin Australia Group’s Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer.
