Qantas Airways (QF), which recently unveiled new menu featuring indigenous and local Australian producers, is reinstating direct international flying from Adelaide Airport (ADL) with the launch of a new seasonal route to Auckland Airport (AKL) in New Zealand starting 31 October 2025.
The route will operate four times weekly until 3 May 2026 and will be operated by the carrier with Boeing 737-800, which is expected to have an approximate flight time of 4 hours 15 minutes. In reinstating the route, the carrier has put an end to a twelve-year hiatus for Qantas mainline international flights from Adelaide.
Qantas Airways: Profile
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Based in | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Founded | 1920 (as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, the name Qantas is an acronym for this) |
| Fleet size | 131 aircraft (The most prominent is the Boeing 737, while the carrier’s most recent introduction was the two Airbus A321neo) |
| International hubs | Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), Brisbane (BNE) |
| Alliance | oneworld® member |
| Key network strategy | Long-haul expansion, selective regional international links |
Qantas Adelaide-Auckland Service: Route Details and Schedule
The service will operate as flight QF175 on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, adding more than 30,000 seats between Adelaide and Auckland for the season. Economy passengers can travel from Adelaide to Auckland for $359 between February and May 2026.
The aircraft type selected for this route is Boeing 737-800— the type that Qantas has seventy aircraft. Qantas’ 737-800 have an average age of 17.4 years. According to planespotters.net, Qantas’ 737-800 registered VH-XZR is the youngest in the carrier’s fleet with an age of 10.2 years. It was delivered to the carrier last month. The oldest of these is registered VH-VXA and is 23.9 years old.
Here’s how the carrier configures its 737-800s; the type it is going to operate on the Auckland-Adelaide route:
| Feature Category | Business Class (Boeing 737-800) | Economy Class (Boeing 737-800) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Seats | 12 seats | 162 seats |
| Seating Configuration | 2-2 layout | 3-3 layout |
| Seat Pitch | 37 inches | 30 inches |
| Seat Width | Up to 22 inches | 17.2 inches |
| Seat Recline | Extendable leg rest with fold-out footrest | 5 inches |
| Cushioning & Comfort | Ergonomic cushions designed for relaxation | Ergonomic cushions with 4-way adjustable headrest |
| Entertainment System | 10-inch high-definition in-arm touchscreen; inflight Wi-Fi to stream entertainment to personal devices | Inflight entertainment via personal device; 9-inch HD seatback touchscreen on selected aircraft |
| Charging Options | USB ports and shared AC power outlets (on selected aircraft) | USB charging ports |
| Storage & Surface Features | Seat-back tablet holder, cocktail table plus in-arm tray table, and seat-back pocket | Pull-down tray table and seat-back pouch |
| Cabin Ambience | Designed for premium comfort and relaxation | Contemporary cabin with mood lighting for spaciousness |
| Food & Beverage | Premium inflight meal service with beverages | Complimentary food and beverages on all flights |
In addition to flying to New Zealand, Qantas’ Boeing 737-800s also offer services to Asia and the Pacific.
When the airline had announced in May earlier this year that it would be resuming the services, Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas MP, remarked that the start of the Adelaide-Auckland route will have greater significance for the two nations:
“It is great news that Qantas is re-establishing a direct international flight out of Adelaide with this new service to Auckland. There is no better friend to Australia than New Zealand – and this connection is only set to bring us even closer.”
What Strategic Significance does Qantas’ Auckland-Adelaide Route have for South Australia
Qantas resuming the route represents a major boost for South Australia’s aviation and tourism sectors. New Zealand traditionally ranks among the region’s key inbound markets, and a non-stop link enhances both leisure and business traffic, remarked Minister for Tourism and Multicultural Affairs, Zoe Bettison MP:
“This new service makes travel to South Australia easier for New Zealanders, who have long been a key source of tourism for our State. New Zealand is presently the equal second biggest source market for visitation to South Australia – behind only the UK and equal with China. Tourism expenditure from New Zealand grew by 29% in the last year, with 48,000 visitors coming to South Australia in 2024. We invite our friends across the ditch to come and experience the simple pleasures of South Australia – to taste our premium food and wine, experience our natural beauty, and enjoy a plethora of events and festivals across the calendar.”
Adelaide Airport currently supports nearly 280 weekly domestic services to over 14 destinations. This service enhances Adelaide’s access to global hubs via Auckland, particularly through Qantas’s existing QF3 Auckland–New York link.
With the addition of Qantas’ Adelaide-Auckland route, passengers now have the opportunity to travel from Australia to New York in about 21 hours with just a single stop in Auckland on its QF3 service. QF3 used to be Qantas’ flight from Sydney to Honolulu route, and as far back as 2023, it offered New York – Sydney route on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Here’s a history of the QF3 flights operated by Qantas for the past week:
| Date | Departure (Local Time) | Departure Airport | Arrival (Local Time) | Arrival Airport | Aircraft | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 31-Oct-2025 | 10:15 AM AEDT | Sydney (SYD) | 03:05 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | B789 | 2h 50m |
| Wednesday, 29-Oct-2025 | 04:51 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | 03:37 PM EDT | John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK) | B789 | 15h 46m |
| Wednesday, 29-Oct-2025 | 09:49 AM AEDT | Sydney (SYD) | 02:27 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | B789 | 2h 38m |
| Monday, 27-Oct-2025 | 05:03 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | 03:37 PM EDT | John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK) | B789 | 15h 34m |
| Monday, 27-Oct-2025 | 09:45 AM AEDT | Sydney (SYD) | 02:31 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | B789 | 2h 46m |
| Sunday, 26-Oct-2025 | 04:51 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | 03:13 PM EDT | John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK) | B789 | 15h 22m |
| Sunday, 26-Oct-2025 | 09:48 AM AEDT | Sydney (SYD) | 02:38 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | B789 | 2h 50m |
| Saturday, 25-Oct-2025 | 05:29 PM NZDT | Auckland (AKL) | 03:59 PM EDT | John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK) | B789 | 15h 30m |
Data: FlightAware
This new route also enhances inbound connectivity across South Australia and adds great to the economy of South Australia, as as evident from the following figures:
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New Zealand is South Australia’s fourth-largest tourism market, experiencing a 42% increase in growth over the past year.
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Tourism from New Zealand contributed $93 million to South Australia’s economy.
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The route also offers greater access to North America, a market valued at $118 million for the state.
Qantas A321XLR First Commercial Flights: Full Schedule from Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne
Competitors to Qantas on the Adelaide-Auckland Route
A possibility of adding to the economy of Australia is a mouthwatering prospect for Qantas. But the flag carrier of Australia will have to compete with the flag carrier of New Zealand on this route, as Air New Zealand already operates an Airbus A320 neo on this route. Air New Zealand offers services on the relatively newer fleet that is merely 5.6 years old. Here is its configuration
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Seats: 165
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Seat pitch: 29–34 inches
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Seat width: 18 inches
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Seat recline: 2 inches
For now, we’ll have to wait for flight reviews of Qantas’ services on its route, and see how well the two flag carriers go head to head with one another on this route.