News & Discussion: Adelaide Airport & Airlines

[Ho Really]

No, it wasn't seasonal, but there was a period where it operated a triangle route between Hong Kong, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Hopefully demand is good enough to reinstate their service year-round, but it has a lot of competition now from an improved Singapore Airlines service.

Well a direct flight is always best but three times a week is a bit of a let down. Singapore Airlines has a great service but neither SQ276 or SQ278 from ADL gives ideal layovers at Changi.

Best flights to HKG from ADL are:

When flying SQ278 (arrives at Changi around 14:30-15:10 give or take a few mins):

SIN 19:00 HKG 23:00 Airbus A350-900 Daily SQ898

When flying SQ276 (overnight stay at Changi etc.)

SIN 07:25 HKG 11:20 Airbus A350-900 Daily SQ874
SIN 08:40 HKG 12:40 Boeing 787-10 Daily SQ882
SIN 09:50 HKG 13:55 Boeing 777-300ER Daily SQ892
SIN 13:05 HKG 17:05 Airbus A350-900 Daily SQ894

Cheers

[rev]

So we've now got a dozen international carriers;

Air New Zealand - to Auckland
Singapore Airlines - to Singapore
Malaysia Airlines - to Kuala Lumpur
Indonesia AirAsia - to Denpasar
Fiji Aiways - to Nadi
Cathay Pacific - to Hong Kong
China Southern Airlines - to Guangzhou
Emirates - to Dubai
Qatar Airways - to Doha
Qantas - to Auckland
Jetstar - to Denpasar
United Airlines - to San Francisco
Vietjet - Ho Chi Minh (if they sort their fleet issues)


Hopefully we see Japan Osaka, Thailand Bangkok which also offers connections to Europe, China Shanghai.

[Patrick_27]

So we've now got a dozen international carriers;

Air New Zealand - to Auckland
Singapore Airlines - to Singapore
Malaysia Airlines - to Kuala Lumpur
Indonesia AirAsia - to Denpasar
Fiji Aiways - to Nadi
Cathay Pacific - to Hong Kong
China Southern Airlines - to Guangzhou
Emirates - to Dubai
Qatar Airways - to Doha
Qantas - to Auckland
Jetstar - to Denpasar
United Airlines - to San Francisco
Vietjet - Ho Chi Minh (if they sort their fleet issues)


Hopefully we see Japan Osaka, Thailand Bangkok which also offers connections to Europe, China Shanghai.

I think we could grow the offering from those that we have on this list...

i.e.

Air New Zealand to Christchurch,
United Airlines to Honolulu and LAX,
Plus, Qantas could resume flights toNew Dehli, as well as offering seasonal flights to Sao Paulo given the growing communities in Adelaide from Peru, Colombia and Brazil.

In terms of new carriers, JAL is a no brainer given how many Australian's are holidaying in Japan year-round, we could provide ourselves as a catchment for people from WA also.

I think aside from tourism, Adelaide's appeal for international carriers will always be with offering affordable options for new migrants who want to have better/more direct connections with their families back where they're from. And so far as I can see, Adelaide has a very strong Indian, Chinese, South-East Asian and South American communities residing here (be it long-term or short-term stays).

[Songsting]

I think we could grow the offering from those that we have on this list...

In terms of new carriers, JAL is a no brainer given how many Australian's are holidaying in Japan year-round, we could provide ourselves as a catchment for people from WA also.

I think aside from tourism, Adelaide's appeal for international carriers will always be with offering affordable options for new migrants who want to have better/more direct connections with their families back where they're from. And so far as I can see, Adelaide has a very strong Indian, Chinese, South-East Asian and South American communities residing here (be it long-term or short-term stays).

I'd really hope for Adelaide to Osaka rather than Adelaide to Tokyo. Almost every flight out of Australia to Japan is to Tokyo, so it would be great to capture a different option.

[VinyTapestry849]

I can tell you now that Adelaide will not have a direct Japanese route for a long while.

And we can make this assumption based off of when the premier went to visit Japan either in 2023 or 2024 I can’t remember and they had a meeting with Japan Airways and Japan Airways refused.

Don’t bet Adelaide getting a direct route to Japan before 2029.

[Patrick_27]

I can tell you now that Adelaide will not have a direct Japanese route for a long while.

And we can make this assumption based off of when the premier went to visit Japan either in 2023 or 2024 I can’t remember and they had a meeting with Japan Airways and Japan Airways refused.

Don’t bet Adelaide getting a direct route to Japan before 2029.

Oh, I'm not betting on what I said above as happening anytime soon. Given the influx of new or returning airlines this past month or so, the way I see it, Adelaide Airport will need to expand before securing any other major airlines (outside of the budget airline offerings). Having visiting the airport quite a lot recently, the biggest capacity issues that I've noticed are the check-in hall (overcrowded - reminds me of when Qantas and JetStar were sharing T1 at Melbourne Airport before Jetstar moved to T4), the arrivals security exit (it's disorderly and funnels way too many people onto two escalators and a narrow staircase), arrivals baggage claim (too many domestic flights piled onto three baggage claim belts) and departures lounges (especially the Jetstar end of the terminal - it looks like the line to a music festival with people sitting wherever they can find a wall to lean on). I know they're still applying the finishing touches to the retail portion of the latest upgrade but surely the westward expansion of the concourse and check-in hall are on the immediate horizon?

[dbl96]

I can tell you now that Adelaide will not have a direct Japanese route for a long while.

And we can make this assumption based off of when the premier went to visit Japan either in 2023 or 2024 I can’t remember and they had a meeting with Japan Airways and Japan Airways refused.

Don’t bet Adelaide getting a direct route to Japan before 2029.

Could Jetstar operate it?

I highly doubt there is a sufficient market to sustain direct flights from Adelaide to South America at this stage. Migrant and tourist flows exist, but they are too small to warrant a connection over such a long distance. Same goes for LA if there is already a connection so close by at SF. Honolulu might be an option though. There would be a significant holiday market which could open up there if there was a direct connection.

[Modbury_Man]

I can tell you now that Adelaide will not have a direct Japanese route for a long while.

And we can make this assumption based off of when the premier went to visit Japan either in 2023 or 2024 I can’t remember and they had a meeting with Japan Airways and Japan Airways refused.

Don’t bet Adelaide getting a direct route to Japan before 2029.

Could Jetstar operate it?

I highly doubt there is a sufficient market to sustain direct flights from Adelaide to South America at this stage. Migrant and tourist flows exist, but they are too small to warrant a connection over such a long distance. Same goes for LA if there is already a connection so close by at SF. Honolulu might be an option though. There would be a significant holiday market which could open up there if there was a direct connection.

Interesting re the Sao Paulo idea @patrick_27 mentioned. I deal within alot of academic and medical circles in Adelaide and I'm suprised just how many South American ex-pats we have here. It would be interesting to see the numbers who transfer to South American destinations from Adelaide in Sydney or Melbourne.

Re Honolulu, now with Alaskan Airlines taking over Hawaiian Airlines they're doing some interesting things e.g. using Hawaiian A330s to fly direct into Asia from Seattle (bypassing their homeland of Hawaii) and Hawaiians withdraw from a partnership with Virgin Australia and Jetstar leaving the Australia to Hawaii market, it may create an opportunity for United to run an Adelaide to Honolulu service which could 'through-route' to one of their hubs e.g. Houston, LA, Chicago.

[rev]

https://animation.news.com.au/animation ... 4612b938fa

Singapore Airlines coming in to land during yesterdays storm I believe.
Only 2 seconds long from AdelaideNow, but a lot of movement left to right would not have been fun being on that flight.

[Leigh744]

Air New Zealand to Christchurch from October.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/air ... W4D2ZXLEI/

Haven’t been able to find an Australian news link as yet other than Adelaide Airport’s official Instagram page post.

[Patrick_27]

Air New Zealand to Christchurch from October.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/air ... W4D2ZXLEI/

Haven’t been able to find an Australian news link as yet other than Adelaide Airport’s official Instagram page post.

Called it. Also as part of this announcement, during November Air NZ will increase flights to Auckland to six per week.

[rev]

Air New Zealand to Christchurch from October.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/air ... W4D2ZXLEI/

Haven’t been able to find an Australian news link as yet other than Adelaide Airport’s official Instagram page post.

Called it. Also as part of this announcement, during November Air NZ will increase flights to Auckland to six per week.

Good.
While its good to see Qantas give us something on the international front, it wasn't a new market which we all hoped for, and good that they will have to work for it if they want it to be profitable as opposed to neglecting it like they have the Adelaide international market for years. Well done Air NZ.

[Ho Really]

Air New Zealand to Christchurch from October.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/air ... W4D2ZXLEI/

Haven’t been able to find an Australian news link as yet other than Adelaide Airport’s official Instagram page post.

The airport releases the info quicker so stick with that. Anyhow here's what's in Travel Weekly from this morning...

AIR NEW ZEALAND ANNOUNCES NEW ADELAIDE-CHRISTCHURCH ROUTE

Staff Writers
Published on: 4th June 2025 at 8:00 AM
Edited by Staff Writers

Air New Zealand has announced a new Adelaide-Christchurch route, giving travellers a direct link between South Australia and New Zealand’s South Island.

Starting 28 October 2025, the service will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays through to 28 March 2026, with more than 16,000 seats available for travellers to book across the season.

Operated by a narrowbody Airbus jet, this new route further strengthens Air New Zealand’s commitment to growing connectivity across the Tasman and responding to strong demand for travel between Australia and New Zealand’s South Island.

“We know there’s strong demand for direct services between the South Island and Australia – allowing us to welcome even more Australian tourists directly into the heart of the South Island,” Air New Zealand chief executive officer Greg Foran said.

“This route gives Aussies more choice and convenience when flying to Aotearoa and accessing all the South Island has to offer – from Queenstown and Fiordland to our world-class food and wine regions. We’re also making it even easier for Kiwis to discover the incredible experiences across South Australia,” he said.

“Air New Zealand is entering an exciting new era. Capacity and availability are building, and customers can expect more good news on increased services in the near future. We’re looking forward to welcoming more travellers onboard this summer.”

The new Adelaide-Christchurch service underscores Air New Zealand’s focus on increasing capacity and providing more travel options across its network.

Air New Zealand also operates between four and six weekly services between Adelaide and Auckland. From Auckland, Aussie travellers can seamlessly connect onto destinations further afield like New York, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver.

Aussie customers can jump on board the new Adelaide-Christchurch route with sale fares starting at $345 one way.

Cheers