Qatar Airways launches Melbourne-Auckland flights

Qatar Airways will fly between Melbourne and Auckland from December 2026, in a move which will outgun incumbents Qantas and Air New Zealand on the popular trans-Tasman route.

The same Boeing 777 which now makes the 13½-hour trek from Doha to Melbourne will add a quick 3½-hour hop across the pond, before returning later that day to tackle the Melbourne-Doha journey.

Easily the best business class between Melbourne and Auckland.

This means travellers can look forward to the exceptional Qsuites business class – along with top-notch catering – plus the bonus of fast and free Starlink Wi-Fi for every passenger.

That's a definite upgrade from the Boeing 737s of Qantas, with their domestic-grade business class recliners, and is also superior to the Air New Zealand’s Boeing 777 and 787 experience.

Starlink inflight Wi-Fi is probably faster than you have on the ground.

Making the deal even sweeter, Qatar Airways’ airfares are on par with Qantas and AirNZ, starting from around $1300 in business class and $550 in economy.

The Qatar Airways website shows these Melbourne-Auckland flights beginning on Thursday December 10, with the following schedule:

• QR904 will depart Melbourne at 1:20am, landing in Auckland at 6:50am
• QR905 leaves Auckland at 1:15pm, to reach Melbourne at 3:10pm

Enjoy true international-grade business class service on this quick trans-Tasman hop.

Qatar Airways currently flies an Adelaide-Auckland leg on the back of its Doha-Adelaide service, but this is being dropped in favour of Melbourne-Auckland.

It’s not an uncommon practice for some international airlines to add an Australia-New Zealand leg to their schedules, to utilise the aircraft during what could otherwise be an extended layover.

Emirates’ daily Dubai-Sydney-Christchurch A380 flight is a popular example among savvy travellers, especially for passengers who book a ticket in the premium cabins, with Starlux adding Taipei-Sydney-Auckland next year.

Also read: Qatar Airways returns to Canberra