Border lockdown boosts Townsville’s popularity

Townsville is one point of a new golden triangle for national carrier Qantas.

Townsville is one point of a new golden triangle for national carrier Qantas.

Our city, Cairns and Brisbane now have more flights and passengers between them than Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane following the outbreak of coronavirus.

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Qantas CEO Alan Joyce revealed Brisbane to Cairns had become the airline’s best-performing route in the COVID-19 pandemic, with demand exceeding that before the crisis.

In response, Qantas increased its services from 22 return flights a week to 53, with the potential for more when state border restrictions ease.

Flights from Brisbane to Townsville are the second most popular nationwide, with 44 return services a week.

Brisbane-Mackay was the third most popular, aided by the resources sector.

In contrast, there are just a couple of return flights a day between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane due to border restrictions limiting travel to essential workers or returning residents.

The pandemic has heavily hit Qantas however, with the carrier reducing its group management committee.

CEO of Qantas International Tino La Spina left the group amid what is likely to be the extended grounding of its international fleet.

“The COVID crisis is forcing us to rethink our business at every level. It’s increasingly clear that our international flights will be grounded until at least mid-2021 and it will take years for activity to return to what it was,” Mr Joyce said.

“Under those circumstances, we’ve made the decision to consolidate the domestic and international business units under a single divisional CEO.”

While the restrictions have led to a drastic reduction in people flying, Townsville has lured travellers from Queensland and further afield with the launch of the Museum of Underwater Art at the start of the month.

Dive operator Paul Crocombe from Adrenaline Dive said the attraction had boosted national tourism in the region.

“As a tourism operator traditionally dependant on international visitation, COVID-19 has had a drastic impact on our business,” he said.

“The recent launch of the Museum of Underwater Art on John Brewer Reef has seen unprecedented media coverage and our tours are quickly booking out.”

Blockbuster sporting events such as Wednesday’s Jeff Horn versus Tim Tszyu bout and the Supercars double-header are expected to draw thousands more people to the city.

Originally published as Border lockdown boosts Townsville’s popularity