The flight from Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta, Queensland touched down at about 2.30pm, 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
The new thrice-weekly service marks the return of regular direct international flights at the airport, which has been without trans-Tasman services since early 2020.
With a flight time of about three and a-half hours, the service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, using Jetstar’s Airbus A320ceo and A320neo aircraft, delivering up to 58,000 seats annually between the two cities.
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, Tūhura Otago Museum, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Dunedin Railway Station’s clockface were all lit orange to mark the occassion.
Direct travel between Dunedin and Australia was severed when Virgin Australia suspended its New Zealand services at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, having previously offered two to three weekly flights from the city.
Dunedin Airport had since offered a couple of one-off chartered international flights, including three Qantas flights for last year’s Pink concert and a Fiji Airlines flight, which transported the supporters of the Fijian Drua to watch their team’s match against the Highlanders.
