$18m direct flights attraction fund for Adelaide, Liberals vow

Premier Steven Marshall has pledged a multimillion-dollar fund to bring direct international flights back to Adelaide, in a move designed to boost trade.

Luring lucrative direct international flights to Adelaide after pandemic-induced route axings would be targeted with a fund worth almost $20m, Premier Steven Marshall has vowed.

In a bid to boost tourism and exports, Mr Marshall on Monday declared a re-elected Liberal government would create an $18m Direct Flights Attraction Fund and open three new trade offices in Germany, India and the ASEAN region.

The fund would be deployed in a bid to lure flights from key strategic tourism and trade locations, such as the US, which has significant ties to South Australia’s space and defence sectors.

Target destinations also include Japan, New Zealand, Vietnam and Singapore.

Sophie Kitchen was met by her parents Doug and Helen Kitchen, who she hadn’t seen for more than two years, at Adelaide Airport on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Singapore, Qatar and Qantas airlines now operate international flights out of Adelaide, with Jetstar forecast to resume services to Bali in April and Air New Zealand in July.

Adelaide Airport management has said discussions are continuing with other carriers about resuming services

Emirates, which ran direct flights from Adelaide to Dubai until the Covid-19 pandemic, announced in mid-2020 it would pull out of the SA market indefinitely.

Singapore Airlines resumed flights in June 2020, which was hailed as a significant boost for the state’s produce, meat and seafood exporters.

Delivering an economic election pitch, Mr Marshall said new direct flights and trade offices would further boost SA’s exports that had exceeded $13bn for the first time last year.

Premier Steven Marshall says the decision will be a boon for SA’s exports. Picture: Morgan Sette

“We are recognised as a clean, green state that produces high-quality products that can’t be found anywhere else,” he said.

“Our wine, our seafood and our agriculture are viewed as outstanding on the international stage.

“We want to expand on that. We want to have more SA products in more overseas markets.

“We will also connect SA directly with key export and tourism markets by establishing direct flights to new overseas locations.”

Nine inbound international flights are expected to land in Adelaide this week after borders reopened to fully vaccinated visa holders – the first time overseas visitors have been welcomed in two years.

Emirates could be among the airlines flying into Adelaide Airport. Picture: Roger Wyman

Mr Marshall said boosting trade office numbers would increase the state’s “eyes and ears on the ground” in some of the globe’s biggest markets.

Establishing a network of trade offices and investment representation has been a key plank of the Liberals’ plan to spur exports and trade.

Ten offices have been opened since their 2018 election win in global cities including Tokyo, Shanghai, New Delhi, New York and Dubai.

Labor’s centrepiece trade policy, thus far in the campaign for the March 19 election, is to develop an export industry to create at least 900 jobs as part of its $593m Hydrogen Jobs Plan, which involves building a hydrogen-fired power station, owned and operated by the state government.