Jetstar's inaugural Brisbane (BNE)–Queenstown (ZQN) flight landed at Queenstown Airport on June 15, 2026, to a full load of passengers. The seasonal service operates three times weekly on an Airbus A320, with a block time of under four hours, and is scheduled to run through October 2026 — covering the full New Zealand ski season.
Queenstown Airport CEO Shane O'Hare welcomed the launch: "This new service creates a great new option for local travellers, while making it even easier for Australians to visit us." Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff noted that New Zealand is Brisbane's largest two-way international market, with 1.3 million passengers over the past year.
Aviation Week confirmed the June 15 launch in its rolling daily updates, noting Air New Zealand will also add a seasonal 3x-weekly BNE–ZQN service from June 22 using the A320neo. Australian Aviation independently reported the inaugural's successful touchdown.
Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully called the launch part of "our biggest trans-Tasman expansion yet," following three other trans-Tasman route additions in the past year (Dunedin–Gold Coast, Hamilton–Gold Coast, Hamilton–Sydney). In October, Jetstar will add Christchurch–Perth as its next trans-Tasman expansion.
Sources & references (3)
Things to do at each end of the route
Top-rated tours & experiences in Brisbane and Queenstown.