What Christchurch’s new direct Perth flights mean for South Island travellers
A new direct flight between Christchurch and Perth has prompted a Canterbury family to book a holiday to a destination they had never planned to visit.
Christchurch resident Faryal Rosa was looking at options for overseas holidays with her husband Silas and their two young daughters when she came across Jetstar’s new route.
“Because we have small kids, we’re always looking for places that are near us, and flights that are not too long, and don’t have a lot of layovers,” Rosa told the Herald.
With return fares of about $635 per person, the family decided Perth was the perfect destination for a getaway.
The family had booked Tuesday’s inaugural flight but had to postpone because their Australian visas were not ready in time. They now hope to travel in November.
The trip will also mark the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary and the birthdays of their daughters, Ayla, 4, and Ariella, who turns 2 next week.
Rosa said avoiding connections would make travelling with young children much easier.
“If you’re travelling with kids and you have luggage ... it’s really not good to have a layover because kids are kids, they want to just walk around and they want to get to the destination as soon as possible,” she said.
“So as parents, we do prefer a flight that doesn’t have any layovers ... So, this was a perfect option.”
Rosa said they were looking forward to sunshine, beaches and seeing Australian wildlife.
Jetstar’s first direct flight from Perth arrived in Christchurch yesterday, launching a seasonal service that will operate three times a week until March.
Jetstar said the inaugural Christchurch-Perth service was “a busy flight”, with bookings looking positive over the coming weeks.
The route will add more than 37,000 seats between the two cities over summer.
Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson said the connection would benefit tourism operators throughout the South Island.
“More than 37,000 additional seats over summer is great news for our tourism industry, particularly for the regional communities and businesses that benefit when visitors choose Christchurch and explore further afield,” Watson said.
“We’ve worked closely with Jetstar to grow its network from Christchurch and it’s fantastic to see that partnership delivering another international connection.”
Jetstar head of commercial New Zealand Cath O’Brien said the service would offer Cantabrians more travel options while encouraging Australians to visit the South Island.
“Together, these services will give Cantabrians more choice and more ways to get away, whether that’s catching up with friends and family in Perth, a long weekend in Sydney, or connecting onwards to destinations across Australia, Asia and the Pacific.”
Christchurch NZ head of destination Kath Low said two recent tourism roadshows in Perth had attracted significant interest from Western Australian travel agents.
“Post Covid, the market which returned strongly immediately after borders opened was Perth, indicating very strong VFR [visiting friends and relatives],” Low said.
“These new services are really important for visitation and there’s vast growth opportunities for the leisure market.”
Air New Zealand is also expected to introduce direct flights between Christchurch and Perth at the end of November.
Rafaella Melo is a multimedia journalist with more than 10 years’ experience in Brazil. She spent two years reporting for Hawke’s Bay Today before joining the NZ Herald’s Christchurch team in 2026.