SYDNEY, 7 July 2026: Qantas has increased services between Melbourne and Tokyo and added more seats across the Tasman, as Japan and New Zealand remain 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 between December 2026 and 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% between October 2025 and March 2026, totalling 350,000 passengers for the period.
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, and Brisbane to Queenstown over the summer peak.
Up to 10% increase between Sydney and Auckland over the same period, due to bigger aircraft and additional flights.
Qantas CEO International Cam Wallace said: “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.”
Japan National Tourism Organisation, Sydney Office Executive Director Naoki Kitazawa added: “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.”
(Source: Qantas)
