It comes a year after Qantas’ pilot union accused the airline of a failure of fleet planning by not having enough new international aircraft, and with Boeing and Airbus experiencing delivery delays.

Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary, which launched in 2004, put out a “casting call” for Australians to share positive memories of the airline to potentially feature in the ad. The campaign, to be filmed in April, will be released for the airline’s 20th anniversary celebration in May.

Commencing on 27 March, the Wednesday flights, joining existing services on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, will add around 20,000 seats per year between the two destinations using A321neo LR aircraft. Jetstar this month resumed services to Rarotonga following a one-month seasonal pause.

The simulator, which was moved to Sydney from Ansett Aviation Training’s (AAT) facilities in Brisbane, can be configured for either 737-700 or 737-800 variants and is approved for Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT).