Half-price flights to Darwin, Alice Springs and Uluru go on sale but details remain unclear

Details of how half-price airfares to key NT tourist destinations will work under a $1.2bn federal government package remain vague even after the tickets went on sale overnight.

DETAILS of how half-price airfares to key NT tourist destinations will work under a $1.2bn federal government package remain vague even after the tickets went on sale overnight.

Discounted flights to Darwin, Alice Springs and Uluru, as well as other select locations across the country, became available at 10.30pm ACST overnight when the federal government launched its major initiative to support the national tourism sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government was contacted to provide the key details of how the policy would work in the NT, but failed to respond by last night.

The NT News understands in the Territory, Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar flights to Darwin, Alice Springs and Uluru will be discounted by 50 per cent.

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It’s understood the cheap airfares will only apply to direct flights into these destinations from interstate, though it was still unclear as of last night where people will be able to book flights from.

Customers will be able to book from today until July 31 and can purchase tickets for travel until September 30.

The initiative will see 800,000 half-price airfares made available across 15 selected regions.

The rollout of the government’s $1.2bn tourism sector lifeline has been beset by confusion in the NT since it was announced in early March.

While Alice Springs and Uluru were included on the initial list of hubs to receive the cheap flights, Darwin was only added days later after federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan told Mix 104.9 FM’s Katie Woolf that half-priced flights to the NT capital would be made available.

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He was quickly contradicted by the Prime Minister’s office, before hours later CLP Senator Sam McMahon revealed that Darwin was now formally on the list.