Air New Zealand is adding more direct flights between Hobart and Auckland and extending the seasonal service into May under a new three-year agreement.
The season will now run about a month longer, with around 36 extra flights taking the total to about 170 and adding almost 8,000 seats.
Flights currently on sale run from October 25 to May 2, 2027, providing about 33,000 seats across the summer season.
Hobart Airport chief executive Norris Carter said the agreement with the Tasmanian government, Tourism Tasmania and Air New Zealand was aimed at growing the route over the next three years.
The service will run three days a week for most of the season, dropping to two days a week for short periods over December and January.
It will increase to four days a week – Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday – from late February to late March.
Flights from Hobart to Auckland will leave just after midday, with inbound services landing in the late morning.
The route will use Airbus A320 or A320neo aircraft and remains Tasmania’s only international air connection.
Air New Zealand launched the service in April 2021 when the trans-Tasman travel bubble opened, marking the first direct flight from New Zealand to Hobart in more than two decades.
It initially operated year-round before being scaled back to a seasonal summer service.
The airline suspended flights for six months in 2024 because of Pratt & Whitney engine issues that forced several aircraft out of service. Flights resumed that October.
By October last year, more than 80,000 passengers had travelled between Hobart and Auckland since the route began.
Carter said demand had continued to grow, with more seats, flights and services added over recent years.
He said the direct trip took about three and a half hours and avoided the need to stop on the mainland, while also offering quicker connections to North America.
The airport ultimately wants the route to return to a year-round service before increasing frequencies further.
Carter said Hobart Airport was also continuing to pursue wide-body international flights into Asia following upgrades to its airfield.
“We’re really hoping to see some flights from Singapore or Hong Kong. We’re optimistic but those will happen over the next few years,” he said.
The expansion comes as Hobart Airport works through a $200 million terminal upgrade that will double the size of the terminal. The project is about three-quarters complete.
Liberal MP Marcus Vermey said the extra flights were part of a broader push to attract more air services to Tasmania and support tourism and jobs.
He said a $5 million aviation fund was helping attract airlines and new flights from around Australia and overseas.
“If we are getting more flights and more people coming … it’s a great investment,” Vermey said.
Tourism Tasmania’s Sarah Kingston-Clark said the expansion showed strong demand for Tasmania.
She said the extra services would give travellers more options, including those connecting through Auckland from other international markets.
“We’re also seeing a great show of US visitation coming through Auckland into Hobart. About 5-10% of those people on the Auckland-Hobart flight are actually originating from the US and that’s another one of our key international markets alongside New Zealand,” she said.
