Qantas has increased services between Melbourne and Tokyo and added more seats across the Tasman as Japan and New Zealand continue to be popular destinations for Australian travellers. More than 45,000 seats will be added to Tokyo and Queenstown by early next year.
- Qantas has increased its Melbourne - Narita services from daily to 11 flights per week from December 2026 to March 2027 in response to growing demand. The new flights will add a total of 30,000 seats to the route.
- Japan continues to be a favourite for Qantas customers, with passenger numbers up 8 per cent between October 2025 and March 2026, totaling 350,000 passengers for the period.
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In addition, the airline is increasing frequency across the Tasman over the summer peak for travel between Australia and New Zealand, including:
- Over 15,000 additional seats between Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane to Queenstown over the summer peak.
- Up to 10 per cent increase between Sydney and Auckland over the same period, due to bigger aircrafts and additional flights.
Comments to be attributed to Qantas CEO International Cam Wallace:
"Japan remains one of the most popular destinations on our international network and is showing no signs of slowing down, with more than half a million Australians visiting between January and May this year alone."
"Adding more capacity out of Melbourne means more Aussies can experience one of the world's great travel destinations, whether they're heading there for the first time or going back for more."
"We're also boosting flights to Queenstown and adding another Auckland to Sydney service, giving travellers more options across our trans-Tasman network over the warmer months."
Comments to be attributed to Japan National Tourism Oraganization, Sydney Office Executive Director Naoki Kitazawa:
"We're delighted to see even more flights between Melbourne and Narita, further strengthening ties between Australia and Japan."
"Last year we marked an exciting milestone, with over one million Australians visiting Japan."
"We hope that even more people will be inspired to come and experience Japan."
