Australian budget carrier Jetstar Airways has outlined plans to launch a daily link between Dunedin and the New Zealand capital Auckland. Dunedin is the second largest city on the country’s South Island and the principal city of the Otago Region and is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons.
However, the route will not just target business, leisure and VFR traffic between the two cities but also the large amount of domestic passengers expected over a seven week period between September 9 and October 23 when New Zealand hosts the Rugby World Cup.
"We really wanted to help the local economy by getting up and running before Rugby World Cup but this is a long-term move,” said Bruce Buchanan, Chief Executive Officer, Jetstar Group. An estimated 219,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year using the flights of Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue Airlines (now Virgin Australia). Air New Zealand dominates the market carrying around 55 per cent of passengers on its 20 weekly flights. Virgin Australia no longer serves the route but had offered flights with average fares almost half the price of those currently offered by the market leader.
Jetstar plans to launch its own services from July 14 and will utilise a180-seat Airbus A320 on its flights. These will depart Auckland in the morning and return to the capital in the early afternoon.
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