Jetstar will operate Trans-Tasman flights from Hamilton and Dunedin from June 2025. Photo: 123RF
Trans-Tasman flights will return to Hamilton Airport for the first time in 13 years.
The new Jetstar flights will go between Hamilton to the Gold Coast and Sydney, and from Dunedin to the Gold Coast from June 2025.
It follows a public campaign to get Trans-Tasman flights back to Dunedin after the Virgin Australia route between Brisbane and Dunedin was cut during the pandemic.
It is the first time Jetstar will operate international flights to and from Dunedin and the first time the carrier will operate out of Hamilton.
Waikato Regional Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said the news came after more than a year of negotiations with the airline and border agencies.
"Analysis indicates the flights will boost the regional economy by about $45 million per year," Morgan said.
It was expected to create about 60 new airport-based jobs.
Hamilton Airport Photo: Google Maps
Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said it was a "huge win" for the city and region.
"Air travel plays a major role in economic and social connectivity, and this will open up Hamilton to Australia and the world."
Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said the new flights into the southern city were a result of five years of hard work and negotiations.
"We know how much our community and everyone in the lower South Island wanted this and we are incredibly proud and excited to announce this new service."
Dunedin mayor Jules Radich said the city would be turned orange to celebrate the milestone.
"I look forward to people from the Gold Coast coming to Dunedin to escape the summer heat and enjoy our wine, wildlife and wonderful walks," he said.
Queensland Airports chief executive Amelia Evans said boosting Trans-Tasman flights made sense as New Zealand was Australia's largest overseas visitor market.
"These services are expected to deliver over 116,000 passengers annually to the Gold Coast, connecting the city to Dunedin for the first time and re-establishing the airport's first-ever Tasman route, to Hamilton," she said.
It has been just shy of a year since 14-year-old Benjamin Paterson launched a campaign to bring Trans-Tasman flights back to Dunedin.
The last service between Brisbane and the southern city was cut during the pandemic and never got back off the ground.
He could not wait to see planes from the Gold Coast touching down in Dunedin.
"It feels real good because I put so much work into it and a lot of other people have put work into it like the airport. I think it's great cause it's what I asked for and it's a really good feeling that we finally got that back," Paterson said.
His idea for a campaign started on a drive to Queenstown.
"I thought why do we have to drive this way, and then I heard a lot of other people, my family, friends talking about how the flights aren't direct anymore. I thought that I'll just try to get them back then."
He confirmed the announcement marked the end of his campaign, but not the end of his plans to become a pilot.
Flights from Dunedin to the Gold Coast will start in 2025. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Jetstar Group chief executive Stephanie Tully said the airline was excited to be further expanding its network in Aotearoa.
"We're in a period of unparalleled growth for Jetstar in New Zealand, launching five new routes in the past three months and providing greater low-fares connections to key regions across the country.
It said the airline provided critical competition, selling a million domestic fares for less than $100 in the past year.