Canberra Airport kicked off the month with its brand-new direct flight route through Fly Pelican, with the regional carrier taking off to Port Macquarie yesterday, 1 November.
The partnership between the airport and carrier has been long-standing, with direct flights already running with Fly Pelican to Ballina/Byron and Newcastle.
Canberra Airport head of aviation Michael Thomson welcomed the commencement of the flights, which were first announced in October.
“We are pleased to extend our offering to Port Macquarie, connecting Canberra to more regional New South Wales locations and communities,” he said.
“As we come into the Christmas and summer period, there has never been a better time to explore Australia and support local businesses.”
Mr Thomson also said the partnership was integral in boosting the restart of the domestic aviation industry and had come just in time for the summer holidays.
The flights follow a new double destination service to the Sunshine Coast and onto Cairns which commenced on 23 October, flying with Alliance Airlines.
Fly Pelican CEO Marty Hawley said he was excited to see the new route which would link Canberrans to the popular holiday destination.
“FlyPelican is excited to create this new direct flight connection between the Australian capital and the mid-north coast of NSW, the demand for these two destinations to connect has been strong and we welcome our new customers onboard our expanding network,” he said.
The Canberra Airport will also see direct flights to Tasmania take off this week, as Link Airways launches its service to Hobart from 5 November.
Direct flights to Perth look to launch later in the month, with Canberra Airport’s website listing five services with Qantas to launch from 14 November.
Two flights per week will depart Canberra to Port Macquarie, as the business continues to recover from its 98% downturn in passengers at the height of the COVID-19 restrictions.
