Air Tahiti Nui announced that it will launch a new direct service between Papeete International Airport (PPT) and Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD). The new route will give Australian travelers their first nonstop connection to French Polynesia and add to the island destination’s push to strengthen its international air links.
The inaugural flight is scheduled for December 14, 2026, with the airline operating twice weekly in each direction. Departures from Papeete are on Mondays and Thursdays at 12:10 local time, arriving in Sydney the following day at 17:45 local time. Return flights from Sydney depart on Tuesdays and Fridays at 20:10 local time arriving in Papeete at 06:25 local time.
The service eliminates the need for a stopover, meaningfully cutting travel time between Australia and Tahiti. Currently, travelers from Sydney will need to stop in Auckland for flights to Tahiti.
The timing reflects growing Australian interest in French Polynesia as a travel destination. According to provisional data from Institut de la statistique de la Polynésie Française (ISPF), French Polynesia welcomed nearly 279,000 visitors in 2025, a new tourism record. Australians accounted for approximately 8,165 of those arrivals, a modest but strategically significant share that the airline is clearly looking to grow.
Newly-appointed Air Tahiti Nui CEO Lionel Guérin framed the new route as part of a broader regional strategy, noting that a codeshare agreement with Qantas will complement the new service and provide additional frequency options for Australian travelers.
“We are very pleased to announce this new direct service between Papeete and Sydney,” said Guérin. “With two direct flights per week and our codeshare agreement with Qantas, this service offers Australian travelers greater comfort and additional frequencies, complementing our twice-weekly service to Auckland, New Zealand.”
The airline already operates twice-weekly flights to Auckland, and Sydney adds a second major Oceania gateway to its network.
Beyond tourism, the airline pointed to freight as another driver behind the route. A direct Papeete to Sydney air link creates new logistics options for trade between French Polynesia and Australia, a factor that often plays a quiet but important role in the viability of new long-haul services.
Tickets for the new Sydney service are now on sale. The winter schedule runs from December 14, 2026 through March 25, 2027, with the summer schedule taking effect from late March through October 2027.
