New flight link to Darwin

A NEW door in domestic and international travel will open for Townsville after the announcement of new direct flights to Darwin.

Qantas will begin flying from Townsville to Darwin for the first time in more than 20 years from the end of January, with the airline running three return flights a week.

The announcement comes after Qantas earlier this year unveiled new routes from Townsville to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney in a bid to meet the strong demand for domestic travel across the country.

The new route follows Qantas’ announcement last week that the airline will temporarily operate its flagship Kangaroo route from Australia to London via Darwin, when international flights resume next month, until at least April 2022.

For Townsville and North Queensland travellers, it means London and the rest of Europe is closer than ever before.

Both Queensland and the Northern Territory have played a key role over Qantas’ 100-year history and we’re pleased to be creating stronger connections between these great parts of Australia with two new routes,” QantasLink CEO John Gissing said.

“As well as offering more options for business travellers who we know commute regularly between these cities, the flights will also make it easier for Australians to explore the world-class destinations in the Territory and Far North Queensland.

“More visitors in these popular holiday destinations will be great for the tourism industry, whether it’s Australians travelling domestically now or international tourists down the track.” Queensland Airports Limited CEO Chris Mills said the new Townsville-darwin service would deliver 30,000 seats annually.

The Darwin service is the second of four new E190 aircraft routes through Townsville Airport announced by Qantas this year, with the Sydney and Melbourne services expected to start after state borders reopen.

The E190s were introduced to Qantaslink’s network in May as part of the airline’s agreement with Alliance Airlines.

Townsville Enterprise director of visitor economy and marketing Lisa Woolfe (pictured) said the new flights were an additional win for the North Queensland region.

“It’s about 14,000 additional bums on seats to our region, so it’s a fantastic boost for the district’s economy,” she said.

“It’s fantastic news from Qantas to see direct flights out of Darwin to Townsville, which complements our existing Airnorth flights, so between the two of them we will basically see a flight every day out of Darwin into Townsville.”

Special fares on both new routes are available from $199 one-way at qantas.com or through travel agents until October 16, unless sold out.