Keen plane spotters are advised to be on the lookout for the iconic red-and-white Virgin Australia tail in the skies over Queenstown on Wednesday 2 November.

Flight VA161 is due to touch down from Sydney at 2.50pm, followed by VA115 from Brisbane at 4.00pm. The Sydney flight marks the return of Virgin Australia to New Zealand for the first time in 950 days.

Queenstown Airport CEO Glen Sowry said: “It will be great to see Virgin Australia fly into Queenstown again on Wednesday afternoon. The return of Virgin is an important milestone, as all four airlines that operated here pre-COVID will again be flying in and out of Queenstown.”

“It’s also testament to how much Aussies love our Southern Lakes region that Virgin has chosen Queenstown as the first New Zealand port they are returning to.”