Canberrans can fly non-stop to the Northern Territory from today for the first time in nine years, with the launch of Qantas’ new Canberra-Darwin direct service.
The QantasLink service will see five return flights a week between Darwin and Canberra Airport on an E190 regional jet aircraft.
“We’ve seen strong demand from travellers in both Canberra and Darwin since the route first went on sale last month,” said QantasLink CEO John Gissing.
“With no other airline currently operating on the route, the direct flights will save business and leisure travellers more than two hours’ travel time on a round trip instead of flying via other capital cities.”
As well, after a popular Easter season, Qantas has confirmed direct seasonal flights to Ballina will operate from the Territory during the upcoming September school holidays.
“More visitors to Canberra will be great for the local businesses in their recovery from the impact of COVID,” Mr Gissing said.
“These flights also provide travellers from regional New South Wales with a convenient gateway to the Northern Territory and they’re launching just in time for a holiday during the colder winter months.”
The launch of the Canberra-Darwin service today is the latest in a string of new routes announced for Canberra Airport in recent months, highlighting the demand for domestic travel in the wake of COVID-19.
Most recently, low-cost carrier Jetstar announced it would fly to Canberra for the first time with direct flights to Brisbane starting in September.
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