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Qantas has announced that it will return to the Melbourne-Darwin market while Jetstar has also announced increased flying on a number of routes, including plans to start flying from Darwin to Manila next year.
Jetstar will increase its services on the Darwin-Adelaide route from four times weekly to daily services from December 10, while its Darwin-Denpasar services will increase from daily to 11 times weekly from December 16. Then, from March 27, the airline will add a single frequency each week to Darwin-Sydney and Darwin-Melbourne services, taking both to 11 times weekly.
In addition, the airline has foreshadowed that it plans to operate Darwin-Manila services from early next year with 177-seat Airbus A320s. The services are still subject to regulatory approval, and Jetstar is expected to announce its schedule and frequency on the proposed route in the coming months.
“This announcement is closely aligned to Jetstar’s pan Asia strategy and the continued sustainable expansion of Jetstar with a strong and even better connected route network between Australia and South East Asia,” said Jetstar group CEO Bruce Buchanan.
In addition to the Jetstar services, Qantas has announced that it will return to flying Melbourne-Darwin CityFlyer services, initially operating three times a week from May 2011. The flights will be operated with a two-class, 168-seat Boeing 737-800.
The new services are a direct result of the Qantas Group recently reaching a new agreement with Darwin Airport on pricing and terminal access. As a result, the airport will embark on a 10 year, $100 million upgrade of its aviation infrastructure, including a $33.5 million upgrade of its terminal.
