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Solomon Airlines has launched a new service connecting Brisbane with Auckland.
The weekly A320-200 flights, which commenced on Friday, depart Auckland in the morning and return in the evening, with onward same-day connections on Solomon Airlines to Honiara and Munda. The route will add around 14,000 seats per year between Auckland and Brisbane.
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“The Auckland–Brisbane flights in both directions are timed to provide great connectivity, making travel easier and affordable for business and leisure travellers and Recognised Seasonal Employer workers, as well as those visiting friends and family in Australia, New Zealand and Solomon Islands,” said John Wopereis, commercial manager at Solomon Airlines.
Scott Tasker, Auckland Airport’s chief customer officer, has welcomed the new route, which connects New Zealand to a popular holiday destination and eases capacity pressure on trans-Tasman services.
“With around 200,000 New Zealand expats living in Queensland – estimated to be close to 5 per cent of the state’s population – there is plenty of travel back and forth to reconnect with friends and whānau,” he said.
“While markets such as the USA and China are now tracking above pre-COVID levels, trans-Tasman travel is still not fully recovered.
“At times the relatively tight trans-Tasman capacity has meant travellers have faced higher fares at key times in the year, so an increase in capacity and options for travellers is always welcome.”
Trans-Tasman services have been under strain in recent years following the return of traffic post-COVID-19, which have driven up airfares; another “fifth freedom” service, operated by China Airlines, has flown seasonally from Taipei through Melbourne to Auckland in recent months.
Aside from the new Solomon Airlines flights, Brisbane–Auckland is currently served by Air New Zealand, China Airlines, Jetstar and Qantas, while Air New Zealand and Qantas also fly from Brisbane to Christchurch and Wellington. Both Qantas and Virgin Australia operate services between Brisbane and Queenstown.
Solomon Airlines last year also launched a non-stop service from Brisbane to Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu on Thursdays, returning the same day via Port Vila on a similar schedule to the former Air Vanuatu route, which Solomon Airlines had operated on behalf of Vanuatu’s flag carrier prior to its voluntary liquidation.
The original Brisbane–Espiritu Santo route, operating under Air Vanuatu codes, launched in June 2023, making Brisbane the only international connection from Santo’s airport.
