Queenstown tourism is set to boom with Virgin Australia today resuming flights to Queenstown, touching down on New Zealand soil for the first time in nearly 1,000 days.
The first flight from Brisbane arrived at Queenstown International Airport at 16:05 today, followed by the Sydney flight an hour later.
This resumption of flights has created a new gateway of travel between Australia and New Zealand, ready for adventure seekers and returning friends and family, ahead of the summer holiday season.
Excited guests on the first flight from Brisbane today were surprised with mini ‘Peace Pavlovas’ ahead of departure – a not-so-subtle nod to the ongoing friendly rift between the countries on the dessert’s origin.
To mark the occasion, Virgin Australia has launched 15,000 sale fares from $409 Economy return* in a mammoth five-day sale for Australians and New Zealanders wishing to fly across the Ditch. The ‘Return to Queenstown’ sale fares can be booked until midnight AEST this Sunday 6 November 2022, according to a statement released by the airlines.
Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said today’s announcement marks an exciting day for Virgin Australia and its guests as the airline’s network expansion continues.
“Australians and New Zealanders have a close bond and we are proud to be creating a new gateway between the countries for friends and family to visit each other, businesses to flourish and holiday-makers to seek adventure with more choice and great value airfares.,” said Hrdlicka.
Virgin Australia Group Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Alistair Hartley said the demand for Virgin Australia Queenstown services is strong.
“We are seeing strong demand across our international network over the Christmas school holiday period. Our flights to Queenstown will increase to 21 per week between 12 December and 29 January, with a daily service operating from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, to help meet the demand,” Hartley said.
Founded in the Year 2000 by Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Australia is now one of the largest Australian airlines operating an extensive domestic network as well as short-haul international services, charter and cargo operations, and the award-winning loyalty program, Velocity Frequent Flyer.
– from NewsViews
