Jake Nelson

The service, which will operate twice per week starting in December, is in addition to the existing China Eastern services into Auckland, which include a daily non-stop to Shanghai, as well as flights to Hangzhou both non-stop and via Sydney.

The plane, VH-VZG, was operating flight QF186 from Queenstown when the aerobridge hit it as it was positioning at the gate in Brisbane, smashing the front windscreens. Passengers were able to safely disembark using air stairs.

More than a dozen flights have been impacted by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the nearby island of Flores, which has spewed volcanic ash up to 10,000 metres above its summit.

Flight JQ163 took off from Gold Coast Airport at 6:15am on Wednesday aboard the A320-200 VH-VQF, with services to operate three times per week on a mix of A320ceo and A320neo aircraft. It comes days after Jetstar launched services to Hamilton from Sydney.

In a statement reported by Indian newspaper The Tribune, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said its recent inspections had thus far found no issues with the 787s themselves or with their maintenance, which were all in compliance with safety standards.

Starting 26 October, the airline will increase from 11 to 14 weekly return services between Perth and Hong Kong, and from 12 to 14 between Brisbane and Hong Kong, both year-round.