Tourism industry in Central Australia takes another hit, with Qantas announcing flight cuts

Flights to and from Darwin to Alice Springs will be cut by 50 per cent later this month in response to the rapidly unfolding COVID-19 pandemic.

Qantas has announced it will both reduce and suspend certain flight routes in and out of the Northern Territory Picture: CHRISTIAN GILLES

FLIGHTS to and from Darwin to Alice Springs will be cut by 50 per cent later this month in response to the rapidly unfolding COVID-19 pandemic.

Return services between Sydney – Darwin will be reduced to seven services per week, down from 11, with the Brisbane – Darwin route shifting to three return services per week, down from seven.

Passengers wanting to travel return from Darwin – Alice Springs will suffer the most significant blow, however, with only seven services per week, down from 14.
Regional Qantas routes from Alice Springs to Uluru, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth will also be suspended, with passengers no longer able to fly from Adelaide to Uluru or Darwin direct.

All customers will receive future travel credit, with affected customers contacted from next Monday.

Speaking to the Centralian Advocate, Dave Batic, General Manager Alice Springs Airport, said that although the decision to suspend certain flight routes was unfortunate for passengers and travellers, it was a necessary precaution.

“We understand the situation and that this is an unprecedented global crisis,” Mr Batic said.

“The view here is that we’ll continue to operate as long as the airlines operate and maintain connectivity where possible.

“We’ll continue with our capital expenditure program and still commit to contractors and suppliers and our supply chain, and make sure it’s business as usual as much as possible.”

Announcing the decision to suspend certain flight routes this morning, a spokesperson for Qantas said the changes would come into effect March 29.

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Earlier this week, cuts to 90 per cent of international flying and about 60 per cent of domestic flying were announced by Qantas and Jetstar.

With the Federal Government now recommending against all overseas travel from Australia, regularly scheduled international flights will continue until late March to assist with repatriation and will then be suspended until at least the end of May 2020.

As the national carrier, Qantas is in ongoing discussions with the Federal Government about continuation of some strategic links.

“The efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus have led to a huge drop in travel demand, the likes of which we have never seen before. This is having a devastating impact on all airlines,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said.

“We’re in a strong financial position right now, but our wages bill is more than $4 billion a year. With the huge drop in revenue we’re facing, we have to make difficult decisions to guarantee the future of the national carrier.

“The reality is we’ll have 150 aircraft on the ground and sadly there’s no work for most of our people. Rather than lose these highly skilled employees who we’ll need when this crisis passes, we are instead standing down two-thirds of our 30,000 employees until at least the end of May.”

For a full list of Qantas group network changes click here.