Stephanie Tully: Jetstar CEO talks bringing international flights back to Dunedin and Hamilton

Jetstar says it's buzzing to be able to help Hamilton and Dunedin get international flights again.

The airline's launching new routes from Hamilton to Sydney and the Gold Coast from June next year.

It's the first time the city's had international flights since 2012.

Dunedin will also return to the international schedule - with flights between the city and the Gold Coast from next June. 

Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully told Heather du Plessis-Allan they've left plenty of time for the airports to prepare.

She says Hamilton will need to touch up their customs and immigration areas.

Plus, Tully says it'd be a good thing if its move into Hamilton promotes competition with Auckland Airport.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back here. Great news for Hamilton and Dunedin Trans Tasman
flights are going to make a return next year. Jetstar
has announced it's going to operate three return flights a
week from Hamilton and Dunedin to the Gold Coast and
then four return flights a week from Hamilton to Sydney
starting in June next year. Now, last time dneed An
Airport had international flights was twenty twenty and the last
time Hamilton had international flights was twenty twelve. Jetstar Group

(00:24):
CEO is Stefphanie Tully has stiffany.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hey how are you doing?

Speaker 1 (00:27):
I'm good, thank you. Hamilton hasn't been doing this for
twelve years. I mean they do.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
They still have the infrastructure, they need to do a
little bit of work, but they're very excited to have
jet started. This is the first time jets will fly
into Hamilton. So we're really excited about the work we've
done with Hamilton Airport to get this going. And obviously,
as you said, Dunedin as well.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
What kind of work do they have to do to
set it up.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
I think that's got a bit of touch up to
do on their whole customs and immigrations sort of areas
because obviously they haven't had international flying for a while.
But apart from nothink, what's good to go to just
obviously where the flights start next June, so they've got
a bit of time to make sure they're ready for us.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Why are you doing this? Why are you flying into
those two spots instead of Auckland.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Oh, look, we just think there's opportunity for je It's
what we do. We open up new demand and we
look at those catchments, both Hamilton and need and then
we see growth and we see lots of opportunity and
some fantastic tourism spots nearby. So it's you know, it's
an alternative way to enter the North Island, which we
think is a good idea.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
This is not designed to put pressure on Auckland Airport.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
I'll look at our jobs just to provide loafares to
customers and if it puts pressure on off Aukland Airport
that's not a bad thing ever. But our job is
really stimulate the demand and we think there'll be great
demand both ways to Hamilton, and as you say, it's
an alternative which is good for competition.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Because I mean I'm not wrong if I think that
you guys are annoyed about what's going on at Auckland
Airport and the fact that they're going to push the
fees up.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Right. Absolutely, We've said for a long time that we
think that the infrastructure, their buildings not fit for purpose
and therefore the costs are high and for an ellen
that just so. We see our role as providing loafares
and competition in the New Zealand market and we'd hate
to see cost got to a point where it puts
that at risk at all. So we absolutely think there

(02:16):
needs to be intervention on that.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Heather, what kind of intervention.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
I would love the government to look at how they
can play a regulatory role with that. And ultimately our
job is to make sure that get our stays around
and our fair stay low. And our job is to
provide a real competitor for your national carrier over there.
So we you know, we our job is to make
sure that the cost of the right amount so we

(02:40):
can keep providing loafares to New Zealanders.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
So what do you want Auckland Airple to do? Just
scale back what they're planning.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah, we think that it's overdone for what's needed. There's
lots of examples across Australia of similar sized airports that
have not nearly spent that much in their redevelopments. So
we think there's definitely opportunities and we've we've provided some
of that input that there's an opportunity to or less
the grand infrastructure development and we're not sure that the

(03:08):
right consultation went on from the airport in this process,
so we're really keen that that happens and that obviously
jet Staff stays as a competitor in both the domestic
and the trans Tasman markets.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Hey, so how big is the catchment do you think
of people who would travel to Hamilton Airport to fly
out of there?

Speaker 2 (03:26):
Oh, look, it's not that far from Auckland, as you know,
probably better than me. But also a lot of people
during COVID I understand moved down that way as well,
and we're commuting back to Auckland and it's close to
obviously the Road U and the Bay of Plenty, so
there's lots of opportunity. I think all of you heading
down to Taupa as I am in December, you know,
there's a lot of opportunity to have that alternate entrance

(03:50):
to the North Island, which I think it'll be really
appreciated by not only the New Zealanders as a way
of getting over to Sydney and the Gold Coast, but
also there's a lot of New Zealanders living in Sydney
and the Gold Coast that will appreciate that direct direct flight.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Yeah, and then the Dunedan thing. I mean, if I
were sitting in Sydney and want to come to New Zealand,
I'd fly into Queenstown, not Dunedan. So is this more
about flying out of New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
It's both ways. Dunedan's the second biggest city in the
South Island, and there's we think the right flows both ways. Again,
there's visiting friends and relatives. There's also people that many
Australians and other countries that come into New Zealand. They
start at one end of the country and end up
at the other end. So it gives you the opportunity

(04:32):
to really see the beauty of New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
Stephanie, thank you really appreciate your time. That's Stephanie Tully,
Jetstar Group CEO. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive
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