Qantas’ Darwin-Canberra flights to last less than three months, airline reveals

The announcement this week that national carrier Qantas would resume Darwin-Canberra flights in 2025 contained a glaring omission. Find out what.

The announcement this week that national carrier Qantas would resume Darwin-Canberra flights in 2025 contained a glaring omission.

A media release from the Territory’s Airport Development Group said flights between Darwin and Canberra would resume three-times weekly in June 2025.

The announcement flagged a five-year partnership agreement between Qantas that covered Darwin and Alice Springs airports.

As part of its “ongoing commitment” to the region, the media statement said Qantas would resume flights between Darwin and Canberra from June 2025.

Although flights will actually resume on July 6, the statement neglected to mention that the service will operate for less than three months, with the route scheduled to end on October 2.

A Qantas spokesman said the dates were set to coincide with the Top End’s Dry season, despite the generally accepted commencement date being May.

An Embraer E190 in Qantas Livery arrives in Darwin. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Nor did the airline explain why they would choose to run a tourist service that dovetails with the Top End build up which begins in October.

The announcement is another snub to the Territory by the airline, which during Covid-19 used Darwin airport to pivot its Australia-London flights after Western Australia locked down - before dumping the NT the moment Perth airport reopened.

A Qantas spokesman told this masthead that in 2023, the Canberra-Darwin route was changed to “seasonal”, although there is no record of a formal announcement flagging that change.

Qantas spokesman Luke Enright said the 2021 Canberra service was scrapped due to tarmac upgrades.

“Due to the runway works we paused our flights to Canberra and are pleased we are able to reinstate those flights from July,” he said.

Darwin airport runway resurfacing is nearing completion.

In the 2007 federal intervention into Aboriginal communities Qantas launched a regular Darwin-Canberra route for the first time since the 1990s to meet the increased traffic between the Territory and Canberra.

This was scrapped after about five years as the intervention wound down, with the route relaunched in 2021 due to the addition of the E190 to the airline’s fleet.

In addition Jetstar, a Qantas subsidiary, committed to basing an airline hub out of Darwin airport during Paul Henderson’s time as Chief Minister, but never fulfilled the commitment.

An Airport Development Group spokesman said major asphalting works at the airport have been completed. It said runway grooving will continue in 2025, with minimal impact to airport operations.

“Grooving is not expected to create any disruption to flight schedules,” he said.

Last month AirAsia, another fly-by-nighter airline who comes-and-goes from the Territory dependent on the economic headwinds, announced it was resuming a Darwin-Bali service in March.