Adelaide a step closer

A NEW route flying into Townsville is expected to reconnect loved ones when it touches down on Monday.

The direct Townsville-adelaide service will be the first new interstate route to commence at Townsville Airport in almost a decade.

Qantaslink will launch the only direct service between the two cities, flying three times a week, delivering more than 30,000 additional seats between the destinations each year.

The service will make it easier for friends and family in both North Queensland and South Australia to reconnect, will save travellers more than two hours and will help them avoid a stopover in another city.

Townsville Airport general manager Brendan Cook said the service opened up a new market for tourism operators and saved travellers time and money.

“It is really exciting to celebrate the start of a new route – particularly as other interstate markets remain closed,” he said.

“Queensland and South Australia remain open to each other, and we expect lots of family reunions via this service between now and Christmas.”

The direct Adelaide service is the first of three new E190 aircraft routes added to the roster at Townsville Airport after Qantas announced Sydney and Melbourne services would commence.

The other additional routes are expected to commence after state borders reopen.

Before the pandemic brought most travel to a halt, Townsville was the 11th busiest airport in Australia, with 1.6 million passengers passing through annually.

Mr Cook said about 57,000 passengers travelled through the terminal in August, about 38 per cent of pre-coronavirus levels in 2019.

He said the timing of the new service was a positive with border controls still significantly impacting passenger numbers.

“While we are still being impacted by Covid-19 management measures, these new services are a real positive for North Queensland,” he said.

Mr Cook said he believed high vaccination rates and an agreed timeline for borders to open were required before travel returned.

“This is critical if travel is going to return to more normal levels,” he said.

Flights between Townsville and Adelaide will operate three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with one-way fares on sale from $179.