Which Airlines Serve International Destinations From Christchurch, New Zealand & Where Do They Fly?

Ōtautahi (Christchurch) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and its airport is the country’s second-largest and busiest airport. The only airport on the South Island, and second in New Zealand, capable of handling the Airbus A380, is fortunate enough to welcome Emirates double-decker from Sydney daily.

Located just 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) from the city center, CHC is in the suburb of Harewood. The airport opened officially in May 1940 and iconically became the country’s first international airport in December 1950. By annual passengers and aircraft movements, it is the second busiest airport in the country after Auckland International Airport (AKL) and ahead of Wellington (WLG).

Photo: NigelSpiers | Shutterstock

Christchurch International Airport has two terminals, all under one roof, and these are domestic and international. Domestic remains busy, with services to most domestic airports across the country provided by some of the country’s major domestic carriers, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Sounds Air, and Air Chathams. It’s also curfew-free, meaning flights can operate to/from CHC 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With three runways, with their specifics included below:

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International operations at CHC

According to airport figures, Christchurch International is the second busiest airport by passenger and airline movements and the second busiest by international passengers and operations. This July, the airport expects 656 international arrivals and departures, representing 140,952 seats and 262,062,202 available seat miles (also known as ASMs). But which airlines operate, and to where? Let’s look at more specific data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company:

Qantas

The Flying Kangaroo is proudly the busiest international carrier at Christchurch, serving its three Australian eastern coast ports of Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Qantas. Operating double daily services to Sydney and daily services to Brisbane and Melbourne, these operate as feeders into the carrier’s wider network across Australia. Here are the figures:

• 43,152 arriving and departing seats in July
• 61,513,176 available seat miles (ASMs)
• 248 arriving and departing flights

Air New Zealand

While the country flag carrier might not operate the most flights in July, it does operate the most international routes to Christchurch, with four Australian gateways on offer. Air NZ will offer 188 international flights for July, representing 33,764 seats and 49,434,158 ASMs.

Photo: Air New Zealand

International gateways by Air New Zealand from Christchurch:

• Brisbane (BNE)
• Gold Coast (OOL)
• Melbourne (MEL)
• Sydney (SYD)

Emirates

Operating the only Airbus A380 service to the South Island, Emirates connects Christchurch to Sydney with an onward connection to its Dubai hub. The only airline offering first-class trans-Tasman from CHC, it’s a popular choice for wealthy travelers.

Enthusiastic plane spotters can usually be spotted daily, awaiting the A380’s touch down, with accessible viewing areas along the roads surrounding the airport’s runway. Even during special occasions, the airport opens a field for a ‘Public Viewing Area’ that includes food trucks, which is the perfect opportunity to add unique aircraft photos to your album.

Jetstar

Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar, is also a domestic carrier in New Zealand, linking the country’s major cities. However, the Gold Coast and Melbourne are popular choices for trans-Tasman services. The sunny beaches of the Gold Coast are served three times a week, with Melbourne and Victoria being served four times a week with one of the carriers, Airbus A320. Here are the airlines Christchurch statistics:

• 62 in flights total this July
• 11,532 seats
• 17,300,604 available seat miles

Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock

Singapore Airlines

Star Alliance member Singapore Airlines offers the most available seat miles compared to any other international airline in Christchurch. The airline operates a year-round service to Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN). With a daily service, the airline will arrive and depart CHC, offering 15,686 seats in July.

Singapore Airlines schedule to the South Island looks like:

Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways is the sole South Pacific connection, with multiple weekly services to Nadi International Airport (NAN). The airport whisks many Cantabrians to the beachside resorts of Fiji or into its growing long-haul network from Nadi (like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver). With FJ, 6,810 seats will be on offer in July, representing 12,230,760 available seat miles.

Photo: Vidit Luthra | Shutterstock

In 2023, Nadi was the sixth most frequented destination in the airport’s route map, offering 56,372 seats according to Statistics New Zealand. During peak times, FJ upscale select flights to the Airbus A330 or A350.

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Seasonal visitors

While operating over the Southern Hemisphere summer, international gateways across Asia and North America pop up. United Airlines famously made its grand entry last year, commencing its first-ever operations on the South Island with a thrice-weekly service to San Francisco. This was enhanced by a direct route to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific) and Guangzhou (China Southern). Singapore Airlines also recognized the demand for capacity in the region, which added additional frequencies over the Southern summer, increasing from a daily service to ten weekly.

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