Big Qantas boost for ADL

QaNTas Airways will launch a new Adelaide-Gold Coast service in time for the upcoming winter school holidays, as it establishes a new base in the SA capital operating the new Embraer aircraft fleet under lease from Alliance Airlines (TD 07 May).

From 25 Jun, South Australians will be able to fly direct to the Gold Coast on one of four return services per week, with daily flights during holiday peaks.

QF will also boost services from Adelaide to Sydney and Melbourne, as well as more than doubling Mount Gambier frequencies to 12 weekly from Jul.

The carrier flagged a number of additional routes from Adelaide will be announced in the coming weeks, while a new CanberraDarwin direct route will launch from 21 Jun, also using E190s.

The small jet aircraft will be painted in QantasLink livery and see QF grow its domestic capacity to 107% of pre-pandemic levels for the 2022 fiscal year.

The E190s will also free up Boeing 737 aircraft to be redeployed across the domestic network, according to QF CEO Alan Joyce who launched the operations in ADL on Fri.

Joyce said the 94-seat Embraers, which have a five hour range, were well-suited to linking capital cities and rural towns.

“Basing these aircraft in Adelaide means we can service South Australia better and help bring more visitors to the State.”

“The E190 is a great aircraft for the Adelaide market, with its size, range and economics opening up a number of new destinations that wouldn’t be viable with the larger 737 aircraft.

“Instead of one or two flights a day with a larger aircraft, we can offer three or four flights a day on the E190, which gives customers a lot more choice about when they travel,” Joyce enthused.