Airline’s return boosts outlook

CONFIDENCE in domestic travel to the Far North to reboot the economy has been boosted with Virgin Australia resuming its Sydney–Cairns service in time for the July 10 border reopening.

The airline made the announcement, which includes three return flights a week between Sydney and Cairns, on Thursday as part of its 12-hour flash sale.

The airline’s announcement was part of a massive “comeback” sale to celebrate its resurrection that includes 17 other domestic flights restarting on August 4.

“Travel is back on the agenda for many Australians and we’re happy to be able to resume flights to a number of holiday destinations in Queensland, Northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory,” Virgin Australia group chief commercial officer John MacLeod said.

In late June, US investment giant Bain Capital emerged as the airline’s new owner after months in administration.

It comes about two weeks after the Qantas Group launched its own bargain sales blitz with Jetstar flights to the Far North for as low as $19 selling out in hours.

Following the 12th Local Leader Committee meeting on

Thursday, Mayor Bob Manning said he predicted more flights to be announced into Cairns in the coming weeks.

“(It’s) a much happier note today as the airlines are moving into Cairns. We’re going to see quite a build up of aircraft coming in,” Cr Manning said.

“Hopefully packed with tourists. I think we’ve turned a corner. But I urge people not to ignore what’s happening in Victoria.”

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said he would not be surprised if the Federal Government would soon consider a travel bubble with New Zealand after it was first reported in early June that the Queensland Government started toplevel talks with Air New Zealand to revive tourism.

Cairns MP Michael Healy said that while the Queensland Government continued to negotiate with the airline, it would “only progress as far as the Prime Minister were to say we could have a New Zealand hub”.

He also said that without a second economically viable airline, concerns about price gouging, among the economic downturn, remained.

“Where you have one party taking control, you will have those concerns,” he said.

“What I do expect and what I think the broader community would expect is that there would be an element of corporate responsibility.”