Comments from a Virgin Australia Group spokesperson:

The New Zealand Government’s decision to establish quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand is a step in the right direction and provides a boost of confidence for travellers looking to reunite with family and friends and do business across the Tasman.

While the airline remains committed to Trans-Tasman flying when the market fully recovers, we are mindful of evolving border requirements which add complexity to our business as we push ahead with plans to grow our core domestic Australia operations.

For this reason, we have suspended the sale of most New Zealand services until 31 October 2021. A limited schedule for flights to and from Queenstown will remain available for booking from 18 September 2021.

We are working with Air New Zealand to provide impacted customers with alternative options and will be contacting them directly. In all cases, options to select new travel dates with Virgin Australia or obtain a refund to the original form of payment are being made available.

Additional information:

• Due to the impacts of COVID-19, Virgin Australia suspended scheduled New Zealand services in March 2020.

• Since that time, and considering changing border restrictions, the airline has taken a more pragmatic approach to ramping up its operations both here in Australia and as part of the Federal Government’s support for international readiness.

• New Zealand remains a key part of our short-haul international network and we look forward to re-entering the Trans-Tasman market later this year.