Australia’s Qantas has announced the launch of its second international flight from Darwin, with a direct flight from the Northern Territory to Singapore’s Changi Airport.
From December, Qantas’ new routes will add more than 60,000 seats to routes each year.
The flight will provide Territory residents with direct Qantas flights to Singapore, as well as seamless connections on QF1 to London and other destinations in Europe or Asia on partner airlines.
Qantas passengers traveling from Darwin will save around five hours of flight time by not having to transit through another Australian capital to get to London.
Starting December 9, the flight will initially operate five days a week with dual-class Embraer E190 regional aircraft, and from March 2025 it will operate daily.
This new route will be made possible by establishing an E190 base at Darwin Airport, and the size, range and economy of the aircraft will open up routes that would not be possible with larger aircraft, including: This includes the launch of international flights to Dili in 2016. East Timor in 2022.
The Qantas E190 is available in two versions, one with nine seats and one with 10 seats in business class. Both are in the 1-2 configuration, but for almost 5 hours the economy class will be in the 2-2 configuration.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the Singapore route was a welcome addition to the Darwin-based company’s international network.
“We are excited to offer our customers new international routes from Darwin and strengthen the important trade, business and tourism links between Australia and Singapore,” Mr Wallace said.
“This direct flight is good news not only for Territorial residents wanting to visit Singapore, but also for travelers traveling to London, Europe and other parts of Southeast Asia, connecting to popular destinations such as Phuket and Kuala Lumpur on partner airlines. ,” he added, “saving you hours of travel time.”
Qantas has a long history of flying between Darwin and Singapore, with Darwin being the final stop in Australia on the original Kangaroo route from Australia to London in 1935. At the time, a flight from Darwin to Singapore required five stops for him and four stops for him. The new direct flight will take him half a day instead of a 4 hour 45 minute flight.
More recently, Qantas last operated a direct flight between Darwin and Singapore in 2006.
Eligible Qantas customers and frequent flyers can access the Qantas Club in Darwin before passing through immigration and security. Upon return, eligible customers can visit the Qantas International First Lounge or Business Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport.
The Qantas Group operates 18 routes from Darwin, Alice Springs and Uluru, with direct flights from Darwin to eight domestic destinations.
Qantas Airways