Direct flights to Perth

DIRECT flights will be available from Perth to Launceston for the first time from November.

The new Virgin Australia service will operate on Monday, Friday and Sunday, and means Launceston Airport will now have direct flights to all mainland state capitals.

The announcement follows the start of direct flights from Launceston to Adelaide this week for the first time in more than two decades.

Launceston Airport chief executive officer Shane O’Hare said the new routes to Adelaide and Perth, in addition to the increased capacity to Brisbane, means there will be an extra 3000 new seats on flights to Launceston each week.

“Western Australia has long been on our radar as an untapped market for the north of Tasmania, and we look forward to enabling frequent travel opportunities for people at both ends,” he said.

“Importantly, the new airline services will help revive our airport workforce as we progressively welcome back more staff.”

The Perth service will allow an additional 4200 passengers to travel each month.

The first direct Perth flight will be on November 5.

Virgin Australia has also reintroduced flights between Adelaide and Darwin as well as from Adelaide to Cairns as it looks to avoid the lockdown cities of Melbourne and Sydney.