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Air New Zealand is preparing to bring back its Auckland-Hobart service next month, with a firm date now set.
The route, which was paused in April due to maintenance issues with Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engines used on Air New Zealand’s A320neo and A321neo aircraft, will restart on 27 October with three weekly return flights.
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“It means we’ll have an additional 24,000 international seats inbound and outbound over the coming five months,” said Hobart Airport CEO Norris Carter.
“We know that around 10 per cent of passengers flying into Hobart from Auckland during the previous peak were North American visitors, who can fly to Australia but avoid the huge queues of the mainland hubs.
“The return of the Hobart to Auckland flights adds to the exciting developments at Hobart Airport; our $130 million runway upgrade, $200 million terminal redevelopment and investment of over $20 million in the carparks, forecourt and road network. This is all part of our plan to build a better Hobart Airport that delivers more space, more choice and more jobs for Tasmanians.”
Tasmania’s Premier and Minister for Tourism, Jeremy Rockliff, hailed the resumption of Auckland-Hobart as “fantastic news for Tasmania”.
“The return of the Auckland to Hobart service is a strong sign of confidence in Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality sector,” he said.
“The direct flights will provide fast and easy access to Tasmania for a crucial visitor market that injected $35 million into our economy in the year ending March 2024.”
The news comes soon after Hobart commenced stage one work on its runway upgrade project, which will strengthen the runway to allow landings by larger international aircraft like the 787 and A350. Stage one will see the northern end of the runway upgraded, with stage two upgrading the middle and stage three the southern end.
Hobart Airport’s master plan also includes $200 million to overhaul its terminal. The current terminal was designed for 1.5 million passengers per year and currently handles 2.6 million, with forecasts of 3.5 million by 2030. The upgrade – to be carried out by Hutchinson Builders – will see the terminal double in size, with works expected to be completed by early 2027.
