The business could have opted for a lift-off date this month but has shifted the plan back to 2025 to complete “final testing and verification activities” and hand its team a break over Christmas.

The airport will see a number of new international routes commence in coming months, including a seasonal Cathay Pacific service to Hong Kong on 17 December, a Jetstar route to Christchurch, and a Fiji Airways route to Nadi, both starting in April.

The carrier has lodged an application with the International Air Services Commission (IASC) to launch the first three routes to Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in June 2025, using Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft configured with between 354 and 412 seats.

Flights will operate every day except Monday and Saturday as an extension to the Taiwanese carrier’s existing A350-900 service between Taipei and Melbourne over the summer period and are expected to add more than 3,000 weekly seats on the Melbourne–Auckland corridor.