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Christchurch Airport is set to boost its domestic and international connectivity following Jetstar’s announcement today of a major expansion of services in New Zealand. The city will benefit from an additional 450,000 seats in and out of Christchurch.
New route to Hamilton – From December 1, 2025, Jetstar will begin flying daily from Christchurch to Hamilton, the first time the airline has operated this route. The service will provide more than 135,000 seats each year and further strengthen connections between the two regions.
More flights to Auckland –Jetstar are ramping up its services between Christchurch and Auckland, from eight daily to up to 11 daily flights, adding over 290,000 extra seats annually, a capacity increase of more than 30 percent.
“It’s great to see more domestic connectivity, Christchurch has continued to enjoy some robust demand especially on the domestic routes, so having two airlines operating on the same route reinforces Christchurch’s role as a key domestic hub,” says Christchurch Airport’s general manager of aeronautical development Gordon Bevan.
“We already have more than 100 domestic flights departing from our airport each day.”
Extra services to Melbourne – Jetstar will add two more flights per week between Christchurch and Melbourne, making it a daily year-round service. This will give Cantabrians greater opportunities to connect via Melbourne to Jetstar’s international network including Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City.
Improved Cairns schedule – From November 16, 2025, Jetstar will retime its Cairns-Christchurch service, with flights from Cairns departing at 7.15am to create convenient connection times with Osaka and Tokyo. The schedule to Cairns will offer daytime flights in both directions year-round, departing Christchurch at 8.20am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“This is great news for Christchurch and the South Island,” says Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson.
“More seats mean more choice. It’s about making it easier for people to connect, whether that’s heading north for business, catching up with family, or starting an overseas adventure. We’re stoked to see Jetstar building on our strong partnership with this growth.”
“With Christchurch on the rise, it’s no surprise airlines are prioritising it for growth,” says Business Canterbury chief executive Leeann Watson.
“As major infrastructure projects come online and as the conference season approaches, the city’s full potential is coming to life, and the increase in air services reflects that momentum.”
“Christchurch is our biggest gateway to the South Island and with this announcement, we are providing even more choice and low fares for holidaymakers and business travellers,” says Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully.
“With our new flights to Hamilton and additional capacity to Auckland and Melbourne, we will offer a total of more than 1.9 million seats a year across six routes in and out of Christchurch.”
“We thank Christchurch Airport for their ongoing support of low fares travel.“
