Adelaide eyes flights to Japan, India, Vietnam and Manila

International travellers jetting out of Adelaide may see a fresh set of airlines and destinations appearing on the departures board.

The South Australian capital is already riding a wave of new and returning routes, including San Francisco (with United Airlines), Hong Kong (with Cathay Pacific), Auckland (with Qantas) and Christchurch (with Air New Zealand).

But there’s more to come, suggests Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox.

“This is not an exclusive set of targets, but certainly right now, what would make sense (are) direct services to Ho Chi Minh City, New Delhi, Tokyo, and Manila.”

“There are plenty of other places that would also make sense, but those (ports) have large amounts of indirect flow right now and their points-of-sale are very balanced and the reasons for travel are really balanced,” Cox told trade outlet Travel Daily.

He readily admits those routes “won’t be coming out tomorrow or the next day”, but they’re on the longer-term plan.

Adelaide stalwarts Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways already connect the city to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Doha, while Fiji Airways can always be relied upon for an idyllic tropical escape.

Meanwhile, Emirates’ recent return is being upgraded to a modern Airbus A350 with the latest Mercedes-inspired ’S Lounge’  business class seats and Emirates’ popular premium economy cabin.

While Qantas’ restart of overseas flights amounts to a modest four Boeing 737s per week between Adelaide and Auckland – and only on a seasonal basis between October 2025 and May 2026 – the airline has repeatedly name-checked Adelaide for its international Airbus A321XLR.