TTNQ CEO says narrow body aircraft key to Cairns becoming gateway to Australia
The arrival of Virgin Australia’s first Boeing 737 Max 8 into Australia is expected to usher in a ‘decade of opportunity’ as Cairns looks to capitalise on the latest eco-minded trends in air travel.
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Virgin Australia has taken delivery of its first of 33, narrow body 737 MAX aircraft with the aircraft dubbed “Monkey Mia” ready to take to the skies on the brand new Cairns to Tokyo Haneda route.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said trends in aviation towards the new long range, fuel efficient aircraft could usher in a decade of opportunity for Cairns.
“There are a lot of really important conversations going on at the moment and for us this is a decade of great opportunity,” Mr Olsen said.
“This new long range narrow body aircraft really allows us to tap into the fastest growing middle income class on Earth, which are spread across India, South East Asia, China, Japan, Korea and North Asia.”
Key to Cairns becoming a gateway for these types of passengers is its proximity to the largest traveller markets in the world.
“These long range aircraft can land in Cairns or they can land in Darwin. They can’t make it to the capital cities on those long range narrow body aircraft,” Mr Olsen said.
“It is a really great opportunity for the destination which is why we are working so closely with the Cairns Airport to build those business cases and really support that growth from right across Asia.
“This destination is so blessed to be so close to major population centres that are looking to get away from their big cities and back into nature.”
Mr Olsen said Cairns has what international travellers are looking for as they look to escape the most populated cities in the world.
“A lot of locations across southern Asia and even North Asia are considering how they can access Australia and Cairns is right in the mix,” he said.
“If we are looking at what the world is looking for from a destination post-Covid, it is space, culture, and connection to nature and we’ve got that in spades.
“They are looking for iconic natural experiences, we are top of the list there.
“Embracing the changes in aviation towards narrow body, fuel efficient aircraft and moving people from the highly densely populated cities across Asia and bringing them to this tropical paradise is something TTNQ is committed to.”
Virgin Australia Chief Operations Officer Stuart Aggs said the new MAX family aircraft are a critical part of the airline’s transformation, delivering not only a more comfortable experience for customers but forming the backbone of Virgin Australia’s decarbonisation ambitions.
“These new aircraft will allow us to grow capacity and support more efficient jet services,” he said.
“And importantly, they will reduce emissions by at least 15 per cent per flight compared to the 737-800 NG fleet, supporting our commitment to targeting net zero emissions by 2050.”
Boeing’s competitor Airbus has developed the 137-seat A220s and 200-seat A321XLRs which are capable of being used on flights throughout the Asia Pacific.
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Originally published as TTNQ CEO says narrow body aircraft key to Cairns becoming gateway to Australia
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