Sunshine Coast locals will soon be able to fly to iconic New York City as a key international airline resumes services from Marcoola.
Air New Zealand on Saturday touched down at Sunshine Coast Airport, restarting direct trans-Tasman travel to Auckland.
It coincides with Air New Zealand’s first-ever direct flights between Auckland and New York, starting on September 17.
This means Coast residents will soon be able to fly four hours from Marcoola to Auckland and onwards 17 hours to New York.
“From The Big Pineapple to The Big Apple, locals will be able to travel from their home airport direct to The City that Never Sleeps through Auckland,” declared Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Andrew Brodie.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said the return of the direct Air New Zealand service also made the Sunshine Coast more accessible to travellers from North America.
“Having flights from New York to Auckland and then direct to the Sunshine Coast provides an opportunity to better tap into this market,” Mr Stoeckel said.
“As restrictions around international travel continue to ease, we are rebuilding our North American market which prior to COVID-19 was the Sunshine Coast’s third largest international market.
“With well-known attractions such as Australia Zoo and our reputation for pristine nature-based travel, we’re well suited for attracting travellers from America.”
The New York connection will be Air Zealand’s flagship flight and one of the longest long-haul trips in the world, landing at John F. Kennedy Airport.
The non-stop flight will depart three times a week, leaving at 7.40pm from Auckland all year round with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the last few years to make this ultra-long-haul service a reality – it’s one of the longest routes in the world, at just over 16 hours northbound and 17 and a half hours southbound,” said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran.
“To ensure customers arrive in New York feeling refreshed, we’ve put a lot of thought into the onboard experience and teams are working around the clock to make sure this a great flying experience.”
Saturday marked the resumption of trans-Tasman travel direct between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast, without international border restrictions for Australian and New Zealand citizens.
The first international service to arrive on Sunshine Coast Airport’s 13/31 runway this year, Air New Zealand will operate flights each Monday and Saturday until October 15.
More than 8,000 seats are available for the season on A320 or A320neo aircraft.
Mr Brodie said the service couldn’t return at a better time, as the world continued to reopen and people became more comfortable travelling internationally.
“We are confident with travel restrictions easing across the world, that our international passengers will see the Sunshine Coast as a desirable location to visit thanks to our pristine location, and array of natural assets,” he said.
“It also gives Sunshine Coast residents, including the many Kiwis that call the region home, the chance to fly out of their local airport to Auckland and connect with other trans-Tasman destinations such as Queenstown and Dunedin.
“We are seeing strong demand for the service both ways, evident today from the first inbound service being at capacity”.
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said New Zealanders could escape the cold while Coast people could hit the snow slopes, or fly onwards to New York.
Tourism Noosa CEO Melanie Anderson said “The return of the direct flights from New Zealand to the Sunshine Coast is wonderful news and we look forward to welcoming our kiwi friends back to Noosa and the Sunshine Coast.”
