Qantas increases Mount Gambier, Adelaide services to encourage business travel

Just over a month after the Flying Kangaroo landed in Mount Gambier, Qantas has announced it will double flights to SA’s second largest city. See the times.

The Flying Kangaroo has only just landed in Mount Gambier but Qantas has announced flights between South Australia’s two largest cities will more than double.

The national carrier will connect Adelaide and Mount Gambier with daily directly flights scheduled at peak business travel times with from July 1.

QantasLink’s current five weekly return flights will increase to 12 offering 1200 seats.

Representatives from Qantas, Grant Council, Mount Gambier Council and MP Tony Pasin welcomed the first QantasLink flight at Mount Gambier Regional Airport in March. Picture: Jessica Ball

A QantasLink spokesperson said the new flight schedule will enable day trips into both Adelaide and Mount Gambier.

“We’re proud to help drive more visitors to Mount Gambier and provide a boost for the diverse and growing economy,” the spokesperson said.

“These new flights will offer the Mount Gambier community more choice and a convenient schedule suited to business travel with onward connections to our extensive network.

“We’re continuing to work with our tourism partners to promote the region to millions of our frequent flyers around the country.”

The airline made its long awaited descent into the city at the end of March following a $9.2m Mount Gambier Regional Airport upgrade in a market where Regional Express (Rex) had held a monopoly.

At last month’s official airport opening, ticket affordability came under criticism. 

Independent SA Senator Rex Patrick said more needed to be done to increase passenger numbers, lower flight prices and avoid a price war that ends with an airline being priced out of the market.

“You can have two half-filled flights, which actually benefits no one, or you can have one almost full flight which means the cost of the air tickets can come down,” Mr Patrick said.

Senator for South Australia Rex Patrick at the official opening of the Mount Gambier Regional Airport. Picture: Jessica Ball.

“You’ll end up seeing Qantas playing games with Rex.

“Clearly Qantas have a deeper pockets and they can actually drive someone out of a market, and then you end up with them having a monopoly, without the benefit of the regulated air route competition.”

Rex’s deputy chairman, John Sharp has previously described the Qantas’ arrival as a predatory move designed to thin its Melbourne and Adelaide routes which serviced 85,000 passengers annually before the pandemic.

“Qantas has clearly embarked on a deliberate strategy of moving into Rex’s routes that can only support one regional carrier in an attempt to intimidate and damage Rex in its traditional regional market, hoping that Rex would be a less formidable competitor in the domestic market,” Mr Sharp said.

“Even when passenger numbers return to pre-COVID levels, these routes would still be unable to viably support two carriers.”