Qantas is relaunching its daily Wellington-Brisbane direct flights on October 29 to compete with Air New Zealand on the same route once again.
Flights will depart Brisbane at 8:05am before arriving at Wellington at 2:40pm, then depart Wellington at 3:40pm and arrive back in Brisbane at 4:35pm.
It marks the latest act of rivalry by Australia's national carrier against Aotearoa's. Next month, Qantas launches its direct Auckland-New York nonstop flights, less than a year after Air NZ launched the route as its flagship service.
The Wellington-Brisbane flights will be operated on Embraer E190 and tickets are on sale now. It's just one of several additions to the airline's international network announced on Friday.
"The rebound in demand for international travel since borders reopened has been incredibly strong and this boost to our network will add hundreds of thousands of seats in time for the busy Australian summer holiday period," said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
"While airlines globally are working to restore capacity to meet demand, there is still a mismatch between supply and demand for international flying. But with more of our aircraft back in the air, new 787s joining our fleet and our contract with Finnair, we've got more seats for our customers and more opportunities for Qantas crew as we increase our own flying.
"We know our customers are looking for great value and this additional capacity will also put downward pressure on fares."
The Brisbane route means Qantas will be flying a total of 28 return flights per week between Wellington and Australia.
International passenger numbers at Wellington Airport are now said to be at around 76 percent of pre-COVID-19 numbers.
"This is excellent news for travellers," says chief executive Matt Clarke.
"It means improved choice, competition and connections for travellers crossing the Tasman. Queensland is a popular holiday destination for New Zealanders, and there's also a large expat population with lots of friends and families keen to see each other.
"It's great to see airline capacity building back and we're working hard to continue this."
The new Qantas service has been announced after Fiji Airways increased its Wellington-Nadi flights to three or four per week, as well as Jetstar increasing its services to the Gold Coast to four per week during peak months.
