(17/01/24) Qantas today unveiled plans to launch a second
international route from Darwin, with direct flights from the
Northern Territory to Singapore.
Scheduled to take off on
9 December 2024, Qantas will will initially operate the route with
five flights per week using dual-class Embraer E190 aircraft, increasing to daily
from March 2025.
The new route has been made possible by the
establishment of the E190 base at Darwin Airport, with the size,
range and economics of the aircraft opening up routes that that
wouldn’t be viable with larger aircraft, including the launch of
international flights to Dili in 2022.
The flights will provide Territorians with a direct Qantas
option to Singapore and also a seamless connection to London on
QF1, as well as other destinations across Europe or Asia with
partner airlines.
‘I Love SG’ flower arrangement. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com
“This is a significant
milestone for Darwin’s aviation capacity and fantastic news for
Territorians looking for more choice, competitiveness and connectivity,”
said Joel Bowden, Minister for
Tourism and Hospitality. “The new flights will benefit locals wanting
to travel overseas and also connect our ever-growing cohort of
business travellers with international markets. Qantas’
commitment to the Territory reinforces our profile as a must-do
destination for international visitors and we commend them on
today’s announcement.”
Qantas has a long history of flying
between Darwin and Singapore, with Darwin being the final
Australia stop-over on the original Kangaroo Route from Australia
to London in 1935.
In those days, the flight from Darwin to
Singapore took five stops and four and a half days, versus a four
hours and 45 minutes flight on the new direct service.
More
recently, Qantas last operated direct flights between Darwin and
Singapore in 2006.
“We’re thrilled to be offering our customers another new
international route out of Darwin and strengthening the important
trade, business and tourism links between Australia and
Singapore,” said Qantas International CEO, Cam Wallace. “The direct service is not
just great news for Territorians wanting to visit Singapore, but
also for those travelling to London, Europe and across Southeast
Asia, with connections to popular destinations like Phuket and Kuala Lumpur with our partner airlines, saving hours of travel
time. This new route also allows us to restore the link to
the UK which was established when international borders first
reopened after the pandemic and we temporarily re-routed our
London flight via Darwin with the support of the Northern
Territory Government and Darwin Airport.”
The Qantas Group operates 18 routes
from Darwin, Alice Springs and Uluru, and non-stop options from
Darwin to eight domestic destinations.
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