Australian Airlines to Fly Scheduled Services to Darwin
 

Australian Airlines to Fly Scheduled Services to Darwin

Australian Airlines today announced that Darwin would be the 12th destination in the airline’s growing leisure network.

From May 2004, Australian Airlines will fly twice a week between Darwin and Singapore with an international connection from Cairns.

The inaugural flight on 6 May will be the first Australian Airlines flight to Darwin and the airline’s first scheduled service to the Northern Territory.

Australian Airlines Chief Executive Andrea Staines said the two weekly flights would complement the three weekly Qantas flights between Darwin and Singapore.

“Australian Airlines has been working in partnership with the Northern Territory Government, Northern Territory Tourist Commission and Darwin International Airport to connect Darwin to our growing international network.

“The Top End is a popular destination among our UK and European customers,” she said. “In response to this demand, we can now offer these customers an Australian Airlines connection from Singapore to Darwin.

“The delivery of a fifth Boeing 767-300 aircraft has enabled Australian Airlines to add the twice weekly service which will provide an additional 540 seats into Darwin each week.

“Aside from the non-stop flight to Cairns, people in the Northern Territory will also have one-stop connections to three other destinations in the Australian Airlines network – the Japanese cities of Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.”

The new flights will operate from Darwin to Singapore on Thursdays and Saturdays and from Singapore to Darwin on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Ms Staines said the Northern Territory was the inspiration for Australian Airlines’ signature colour – ochre.

“We have been taking the colour of the heart of Australia to our overseas ports for the past 12 months and we look forward to bringing it home again – this time to the Northern Territory.”

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interesting.. up here it was reported that Claire Bear and the NT Govt. is handing over $1.2m for the pleasure of being added .. great, we can now go to Japan.. but we can't get another choice of carrier to anywhere south or west out of here ... unless we go east or north first ...

Will be very interesting to see how long we have to wait for announcement that Qantas quits the Darwin international scene and operates Adelaide/Singapore as non-stops. I reckon it will queitly happen and so we will see a further dimunition of a what was once a great airline.

On another note, isn't it interesting to see State Govts/Territories handing out subsidies ('incentives'?) to profitable organisations? How can it be realistically justified?