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China Airlines has launched its new seasonal route from Melbourne to Auckland.
Flights will operate every day except Monday and Saturday as an extension to the Taiwanese carrier’s existing A350-900 service between Taipei and Melbourne over the summer period and are expected to add more than 3,000 weekly seats on the Melbourne–Auckland corridor.
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The inaugural flight, CI57, departed on its Auckland leg from Melbourne just after 2pm on Tuesday.
“With the December school holidays almost upon us, families and holidaymakers will benefit from increased capacity at a time when demand is at its peak,” said Jim Parashos, chief of aviation at Melbourne Airport.
“This service also creates new opportunities for New Zealanders to connect to Asia via Melbourne, opening up a gateway to Taipei and beyond.
“The additional flights bring much-needed competition to the trans-Tasman market, helping to drive down airfares and providing greater choice for passengers. It’s a win for consumers on both sides of the Tasman.”
The flights are expected to bring Melbourne–Auckland back to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic seat capacity, with the market currently sitting at around 75 per cent of where it was in 2019.
Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said in June that this has led to fuller flights and higher fares.
“Melbourne is our second biggest trans-Tasman market, with around 1000 people flying between Auckland and Melbourne every day,” Tasker said.
“Unfortunately, the flights haven’t been there to meet the demand and that’s been reflected in airfares that are well up on what we were paying pre-pandemic.
“It’s great to have a full-service airline like China Airlines step up its trans-Tasman services to include the Auckland-Melbourne route.”
Aside from China Airlines, Melbourne-Auckland is currently served by Air New Zealand, Qantas and Jetstar. China Airlines also operates an Auckland–Brisbane–Taipei route five times per week, and this year signalled plans to increase frequency to six per week in the summer months.
“We’ve had a long history with China Airlines connecting Auckland to Taiwan. China Airlines were also one of the carriers that continued flying to New Zealand through the pandemic, including regular freight-only passenger aircraft keeping our trade links up and running,” Tasker said.
The new service comes as Auckland works to integrate its domestic and international terminals amid criticism over proposed increases to its aeronautical fees.
