Short answer: Christchurch Airport expects its biggest international summer yet, with more than 1.27 million international seats between November and March, 21% more than last summer. New non-stop Air New Zealand services from Singapore, Tokyo Narita and Perth let South Island programmes start in Christchurch instead of Auckland. Confirm schedules and availability at quotation.
Christchurch Airport set out the season in a media release on 19 August 2026. For agents selling New Zealand, the headline is not the seat count. It is that a South Island itinerary can now begin and end in the South Island for more source markets, without a domestic connection through Auckland at either end.
What has been announced
According to Christchurch Airport's release, long-haul capacity into Christchurch is up 54% on last summer, and services across the Tasman and to the Pacific Islands are up 11%. The main changes for the trade:
- Air New Zealand is adding three new non-stop routes to Christchurch, all on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners: Singapore from late October, and Tokyo Narita and Perth from late November. The airport says Tokyo and Perth run through to early May. Together they add more than 92,000 seats.
- Singapore Airlines keeps its year-round Christchurch service and adds extra flights over the summer.
- Cathay Pacific returns to Christchurch from Hong Kong in early November, mostly on the larger A350-1000.
- China Southern operates daily from Guangzhou through the season, with extra flights between December and February.
- United moves to a larger 787-9 on its San Francisco service for the whole season.
- Qantas, Jetstar and Fiji Airways add trans-Tasman and Pacific capacity across the peak.
Days of operation, frequencies and aircraft can change after a schedule is announced. We confirm the flights that matter to your programme at quotation, not from a press release.
Why it matters for South Island programmes
Most long-haul arrivals into New Zealand land in Auckland. A South Island tour then needs a domestic flight on day one and another at the end, with the extra check-in time, baggage handling and risk of a missed connection that comes with each.
A Christchurch arrival removes one or both of those legs. For a group, that is one fewer transfer to manage on the most tiring day of the trip. For a FIT client, it can mean starting the self-drive or the TranzAlpine the morning after landing. Christchurch is also the natural starting point for Christchurch, Akaroa, Kaikōura and the road inland to Lake Tekapo and Aoraki / Mount Cook.
The new routes matter most for three source markets:
- Japan. A non-stop Tokyo Narita service gives Japanese clients a direct way into the South Island for the summer season. See our New Zealand DMC page for Japan.
- Singapore and South-East Asia. With Air New Zealand joining Singapore Airlines on the route, Singapore works as a hub for clients connecting from across the region. See New Zealand for the Singapore trade.
- Western Australia. Perth gains a second non-stop link to Christchurch this summer, alongside Jetstar's service. See New Zealand for Australian agents.
Routing ideas to quote now
Open-jaw: in through Christchurch, out through Queenstown or Auckland. Arrive in Christchurch, travel west over Arthur's Pass or south through the Mackenzie Basin, and finish in Queenstown. Whether a return from Queenstown or Auckland suits your client depends on their onward connection, and we check that at quotation.
South Island only. For clients with ten days or fewer, a programme that arrives and departs through Christchurch avoids repositioning to Auckland at the end. It suits a loop through Canterbury, the West Coast, the Southern Lakes and back.
Both islands, reversed. Clients who once had to start in Auckland can now start in the south and finish in the north, which spreads the long drives differently and can make better use of a late-season window.
Our scenic rail and ferries and coach and private transfers teams can build either direction.
What to watch when you quote
- Seasonal routes. Tokyo and Perth are announced for the summer season, not all year. Programmes outside that window still route through Auckland or Australia.
- Peak pressure. December to February is the domestic peak in New Zealand, and the extra international seats arrive in the same weeks. Hold hotel and coach space for Christmas, New Year and the January school holidays early.
- Release dates. Allotments in Christchurch, Tekapo and Queenstown tighten through the peak. Send rooming lists in good time.
- Schedules. Confirm the operating days of each new service before you fix ground arrangements around them.
How Explera DMC New Zealand can help
We cost each South Island programme by hand against your brief at net rates, from a single FIT to series groups and MICE programmes. Send us the arrival airport, dates and group size, and we will build the ground arrangements around the flights your client actually holds. For a tailored itinerary, see our FIT and tailor-made service.
FAQ
How many international seats will Christchurch Airport have this summer? Christchurch Airport says more than 1.27 million international seats will be available between November and March, 21% more than last summer.
Which new non-stop routes is Air New Zealand adding to Christchurch? Singapore from late October, and Tokyo Narita and Perth from late November, all on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The airport says Tokyo and Perth run through to early May.
Do these routes change how a South Island programme can be routed? Yes. Clients from these markets can arrive in Christchurch rather than Auckland, which removes a domestic connection and makes open-jaw itineraries ending in Queenstown or Auckland easier to build.
Are the schedules fixed? No. Frequencies, operating days and aircraft can change after an announcement, so we confirm the flights that matter to your programme at quotation.