Christchurch Airport confirmed the continuation of a regional air link with the arrival of regional airline Originair, which will start twice daily services from Blenheim to Christchurch on Sunday 19 October 2025. This swift transition ensures ongoing connectivity for travellers and communities across the South Island. Originair’s entry into the route reinforces a shared commitment to maintaining strong regional access.
Originair will operate the British Aerospace Jetstream 32, a pressurised twin turboprop airliner crewed by two pilots and configured for 18 passengers. The announcement will be welcomed by many, as the route supports not only business and leisure travel, but also plays a crucial role in enabling patients to access specialist care at Christchurch Hospital.
Justin Watson, Chief Executive, Christchurch Airport “Enabling regional routes are vital to Christchurch’s role as the South Island hub, connecting communities and supporting economic activity across the region.”
Dean Heiford, Chief Executive, Marlborough Airport “We welcome a new operator stepping in to pick up this critical route. A consistent return service to Christchurch is important for our business community, accessing health care, and as a key market for tourism. We’re pleased to see Originair’s plans to scale up this route as passenger demand is established.”
Christchurch Airport gets major uplift in Jetstar services
Christchurch Airport is set to boost its domestic and international connectivity following Jetstar’s announcement today of a major expansion of services in New Zealand. The city will benefit from an additional 450,000 seats in and out of Christchurch.
- New route to Hamilton – From 1 December 2025, Jetstar will begin flying daily from Christchurch to Hamilton, the first time the airline has operated this route. The service will provide more than 135,000 seats each year and further strengthen connections between the two regions.
- More flights to Auckland – Jetstar are ramping up its services between Christchurch and Auckland, from eight daily to up to 11 daily flights, adding over 290,000 extra seats annually, a capacity increase of more than 30 percent.
- Extra services to Melbourne – Jetstar will add two more flights per week between Christchurch and Melbourne, making it a daily year-round service. This will give Cantabrians greater opportunities to connect via Melbourne to Jetstar’s international network including Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City.
- Improved Cairns schedule – From 16 November 2025, Jetstar will retime its Cairns-Christchurch service, with flights from Cairns departing at 7:15am to create convenient connection times with Osaka and Tokyo. The schedule to Cairns will offer daytime flights in both directions year-round, departing Christchurch at 8:20am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Gordon Bevan, Christchurch Airport’s General Manager of Aeronautical Development. “It’s great to see more domestic connectivity, Christchurch has continued to enjoy some robust demand especially on the domestic routes, so having two airlines operating on the same route reinforces Christchurch’s role as a key domestic hub. We already have more than 100 domestic flights departing from our airport each day.”
Justin Watson, Chief Executive of Christchurch Airport. “This is great news for Christchurch and the South Island. More seats mean more choice. It’s about making it easier for people to connect, whether that’s heading north for business, catching up with family, or starting an overseas adventure. We’re stoked to see Jetstar building on our strong partnership with this growth.”
Leeann Watson Chief Executive Business Canterbury. “With Christchurch on the rise, it’s no surprise airlines are prioritising it for growth. As major infrastructure projects come online and as the conference season approaches, the city’s full potential is coming to life, and the increase in air services reflects that momentum.”
Jetstar CEO, Stephanie Tully “Christchurch is our biggest gateway to the South Island and with this announcement, we are providing even more choice and low fares for holidaymakers and business travellers. With our new flights to Hamilton and additional capacity to Auckland and Melbourne, we will offer a total of more than 1.9 million seats a year across six routes in and out of Christchurch. We thank Christchurch Airport for their ongoing support of low fares travel.
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