Snow-sports enthusiasts travelling Down Under for the 2017 ski season will have increased flight frequency between Australia and New Zealand with Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand planning to introduce night flights.
Virgin Australia will operate night services from Queenstown (ZQN) to Brisbane (BNE) on Fridays, from June 23 to July 21, and Sunday, from June 25 to September 17.
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand will introduce night services from Queenstown to Sydney (SYD) on Saturday and Sunday from July 1 to July 30.
The increased flight frequencies will bring the number of return services between Australia and Queenstown during the ski season to 38.
“As the popularity of Queenstown grows, particularly during the ski season, we are excited to be offering even more flexible scheduling options for our guests with these new night time Ski Shuttle services,” said Virgin Australia Airlines group executive, John Thomas. “Our new night flights from Queenstown to Brisbane enable Virgin Australia guests to enjoy a full day of skiing or snowboarding before travelling home.”
The enhanced services come following the introduction of the first domestic evening services between Auckland and Queenstown by Air New Zealand in May this year.
Tickets for the new services are currently available.
Details of the additional night flights are as follows:
Brisbane-Queenstown-Brisbane
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| VA 118 | BNE | ZQN | 1450 | 2020 | Fri, Sun |
| VA 119 | ZQN | BNE | 2115 | 2305 |
Sydney-Queenstown-Sydney
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| NZ 0838 | SYD | ZQN | 1155 | 1700 | Sat, Sun |
| NZ 0839 | ZQN | SYD | 1800 | 1920 |
