Qantas is set to resume international flights from Adelaide Airport later this year, with a seasonal Adelaide-Auckland flight expected to take wing. Subject to government and regulatory approval, the Roo plans to run four return flights per week between the two cities over a six-month period.

The trans-Tasman tie-up ties in with the opening of a new Qantas Business Lounge at Adelaide Airport. Given the design of Adelaide’s departure terminal, the lounge can be accessed by both domestic and international flyers. But these new international services are about far more than lounging about in Adelaide itself.

Adelaide-based flyers jetting to NZ’s North Island business hub will no longer require a one-stop hop when Qantas Points and Status Credits are the goal. Rival Air New Zealand already runs direct Adelaide-Auckland flights, but those with Qantas Points to burn – or Qantas status to maintain – are highly motivated to book with Qantas instead.

Qantas’ presence will also add Business Class to the route. Currently, the highest cabin available on a non-stop flight is ‘Works Deluxe’ with Air New Zealand. That’s code for flying Economy with a middle seat blocked beside. On the other hand, Qantas is planning to run Boeing 737s on the route, equipped with 12 Business Class recliners for the journey.

Here’s a look at what the move brings for Adelaide and South Australia.

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More international flights from Adelaide means fewer connections through Sydney

Qantas’ new route isn’t solely about non-stop international flights from Adelaide to New Zealand. It also ties in with the airline’s direct Auckland-New York JFK service. Currently, travellers beginning that journey in Adelaide would first need to fly to Australia’s east coast, then take another hop to NZ, then the JFK-bound flight. Or, to the east coast, to get to places like LA or Dallas, and then take a third flight on a partner carrier like American Airlines.

Once these seasonal flights kick off, Adelaide-New York becomes a one-stop journey. Flight timings don’t quite line up with Qantas’ codeshare service from Auckland to Tahiti (operated by Air Tahiti Nui). But there’s always the option of a stopover in Auckland in between.

Those lucky enough to find Adelaide-Auckland flights on points will currently need 41,500 Qantas Points for Business Class, or 18,000 Qantas Points for Economy. At the time of writing though, we aren’t able to locate a single Business Class Classic Reward seat on any of Qantas’ flights between Adelaide and Auckland. Where we have seen reward seats available between the cities, they’ve still required travellers to detour via Sydney or Brisbane to fly Business Class.

The new Adelaide-Auckland service kicks off on 31 October 2025. It’ll run as QF175 from Adelaide, and QF176 from Auckland, until 3 May 2026. It’s a daytime service from South Australia, touching down mid-afternoon in NZ. On the return, it’s an evening flight that gets South Australians home just in time for dinner.

It is great news that Qantas is re-establishing a direct international flight out of Adelaide with this new service to Auckland. There is no better friend to Australia than New Zealand – and this connection is only set to bring us even closer.

It also connects South Australians through to New York City with a single stop, strengthening our bond with a key economic and AUKUS partner. We hope that this marks the beginning of a long-term commitment by Qantas to grow their international services out of Adelaide.

– Peter Malinauskas MP, Premier of South Australia, May 2025

There’s more in store for Adelaide

It took some time for Adelaide to regain some of its international flights after the pandemic pause. But international routes are now largely back in full swing. For one thing, Emirates is back with direct Adelaide-Dubai flights. This was the last city to return to Emirates’ Australian network following the reopening of international borders.

Qatar Airways is also rejigging its Adelaide flights. From late 2025, all Adelaide departures will run non-stop to Doha. That’s a change from the current routings, where some services detour via Melbourne. This sees some Adelaide flights venture eastward to Melbourne, before backtracking northwest to Doha.

United Airlines is also gearing up for non-stop flights between Adelaide and San Francisco. These get underway from December 2025 – and again, remove the obligatory Sydney transit for South Australians venturing Stateside.

China Southern is also back in Adelaide with seasonal services to Guangzhou. As well, Indonesia AirAsia will spread its wings to Adelaide with flights to Denpasar (Bali) launching in June 2025. Discussions continue with Cathay Pacific about its own possible return to the South Australian capital. But there’s no movement on that yet.

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Adelaide Airport expands as a gateway for international travel was last modified: May 19th, 2025 by Chris Chamberlin