The first international flight in five years returned to Dunedin yesterday.
There would now be three return Jetstar connections to the Gold Coast weekly, and the mayor said the city would build more accommodation if needed.
Dunedin’s first international flights landed in 1994, but paused during Covid lockdowns.
Teen Benjamin Paterson petitioned to get them back, more than 25,000 signed, and he met with the Prime Minister last year to campaign.
“It’s really exciting to be on the first flight because it’s a big honour,” he told 1News, checking in.
Now flying Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Airbus A320s will deliver 58,000 seats annually, a 3.5 hour trip each way.
“Back in the mid-2000s this place hosted over 100,000 international passengers a year,” Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said.
“So we know the market’s there.”
City hotels fill up for graduations, concerts and rugby, but Dunedin’s only been at 70% capacity in the latest annual data, with new visitors only staying two nights on average, booking 75,000 nights a year in total.
“We’re back to pre-Covid levels of accommodation,” Motel on George owner Chris Roy said.
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Mayor Jules Radich also told 1News: “We do have enough hotel, motel accommodation here in Dunedin… But if that steady stream of visitors turns into a flood, then we will react accordingly. We will build accordingly.”
Australian tourists currently spend $38 million a year in Dunedin.
Jetstar’s also offering what’s called ‘open jaw ticketing’ – for passengers to fly into Dunedin and out of Queenstown in one booking.