Australia's Qantas has announced it is launching a second international route from Darwin, with direct flights from the Northern Territory to Singapore Changi Airport.
Starting in December, new Qantas flights will add more than 60,000 seats to the route each year.
The flights will give Territorians a direct option from Qantas to Singapore and also a seamless connection to London on QF1, as well as other destinations in Europe or Asia with partner airlines.
Qantas passengers traveling from Darwin will save around five hours of flying time by not having to fly through other Australian capitals to get to London.
From December 9, flights will initially operate five days a week with the dual-class Embraer E190 regional aircraft, increasing to daily from March 2025.
The new route has been made possible by the establishment of the E190 base at Darwin Airport, whose size, scope and economics open up routes that would not be viable with larger aircraft, including the launch of international flights to Dili in East Timor in 2022.
The Qantas E190s come in two versions: one with nine business class seats and the other with 10. Both are configured 1-2, while economy class will be configured in a 2-2 configuration for the nearly five-hour flight.
Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said the Singapore service was a welcome addition to the airline's international network from Darwin.
“We are delighted to offer our customers another new international route from Darwin and strengthen the important trade, business and tourism links between Australia and Singapore,” Mr Wallace said.
“The direct service is not only great news for Territorials looking to visit Singapore, but also for those traveling to London, Europe and Southeast Asia, with connections to popular destinations such as Phuket and Kuala Lumpur with our partner airlines, saving travel time. ”He added.
Qantas has a long history of flying between Darwin and Singapore, with Darwin being the last stopover in Australia on the original Kangaroo Route from Australia to London in 1935. In those days, the flight from Darwin to Singapore made five stops and four and a half-day compared to a flight of four hours and 45 minutes on the new direct service.
More recently, Qantas last operated direct flights between Darwin and Singapore in 2006.
Eligible Qantas customers and frequent flyers will have access to the Qantas Club in Darwin before clearing immigration and security. Upon return, eligible customers will have access to the Qantas International First or Business Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport.
The Qantas Group operates 18 routes from Darwin, Alice Springs and Uluru, and non-stop options from Darwin to eight domestic destinations.
qantas.com
