Airlines reassessing flights to and from the NT as Prime Minister calls for cancellation of all non-essential interstate travel

Qantas and Jetstar are reassessing their flight services to and from the NT after calls from Prime Minister Scott Morrison for Australians to end all non-essential travel.

Qantas, as well as Jetstar, is reassessing its flight services to and from the NT after calls from Prime Minister Scott Morrison for Australians to end all non-essential travel.

QANTAS and Jetstar are reassessing their flight services to and from the NT after calls from Prime Minister Scott Morrison for Australians to end all non-essential travel.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Mr Morrison said while Australians should continue to go to work and to the shops, interstate holidays should be cancelled.

“What we are saying is non-essential travel should be avoided and particularly when we’re talking about interstate travel and longer distances, the sort of travel that would not be normally part of your normal life,” he said.

“We have to think about making sensible decisions for ourselves and our families and also decisions we are taking and its impact on other Australians.

“So it does mean that those holidays that you may have been planning to take interstate over the school holidays are cancelled.”

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A Qantas spokeswoman said the airline was still considering its response to the unfolding crisis.

“We haven’t cancelled any flights yet and are in the process of working through what the new restrictions mean for our scheduling,” she said.

No spokesman from Jetstar was available for official comment but it is understood its position is similar to that of the national carrier.

It comes after Jetstar announced last week all Darwin services would be suspended from April 1 to the end of May.

Qantas will also suspend its Adelaide to Uluru service and direct flights to Darwin along with services between Alice Springs and Uluru, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth during the same time period.

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On Thursday, Qantas was still intending to run services from Sydney and Brisbane to Darwin and from Adelaide, Sydney and Darwin to Alice Springs.

Meanwhile, Virgin announced it would scrap flights between Darwin and Melbourne, Darwin and Sydney and Sydney to Uluru between April 1 and June 14.