Qantas suspends Alice Springs-Perth route in blow to Central Australia
A key route between Alice Springs and a major Australian city will be suspended later this month by the nation’s flag carrier.
Northern Territory
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QANTAS will suspend its services between Perth and Alice Springs in a blow to Central Australian tourism.
Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford said the route would cease for “operational reasons” from June 26.
“It’s very hard to get these services once they’re suspended, so we certainly have grave concerns about this route moving into the future,” Mr Rochford said.
“It’s disappointing that Qantas has made this decision. It will certainly impact the tourism industry and the liveability of Alice Springs as a regional community.”
Mr Rochford said the decision was a “huge surprise” to his organisation and expressed disappointment at a lack of consultation by the national carrier.
“A route like that is an important one for the destination, because it links the west coast … and is also an important link for our corporate market,” he said.
The NT News has contacted Qantas for comment.
Reacting to the news, Tourism Minister Nicole Manison said the NT government would continue to push Qantas to maintain services in and out of Alice Springs.
Appearing next to Ms Manison, Tourism and Trade deputy chief executive Scott Lovett said the move was likely prompted because of the “bloodbath on (Qantas’) balance sheet”.
A Qantas spokeswoman blamed “very low passenger numbers” for the decision.
“We’ll continue to offer our customers connections via Adelaide and Darwin, and have contacted impacted passengers with their options,” the spokeswoman said.
Jetstar launches major mid-year sale
BUDGET carrier Jetstar has unveiled a mid-year sale for over half a million seats, including $124 flights from Darwin to Bali.
The sale will launch from midnight Wednesday, and will also include cheaper flights from Adelaide to Darwin.
Tickets can be booked for flying dates between late July to late September, early October to late December 2022, and early January to late March 2023.
Both Perth and Melbourne will also pay host to cheaper flights to Bali.
According to news.com.au, the mid-year sale will involve the following routes:
Domestic:
• Adelaide to Melbourne (Avalon) from $29
• Adelaide to Darwin from $119
• Gold Coast (Coolangatta) to Canberra from $59
• Melbourne (Tullamarine) to Busselton (Margaret River) from $99
• Melbourne (Tullamarine) to Hobart from $39
• Melbourne (Tullamarine) to Canberra from $59
• Perth to Brisbane from $99
• Sydney to Melbourne (Tullamarine) from $59
• Sydney to Hervey Bay from $75
International:
• Darwin to Bali (Denpasar) from $124
• Melbourne (Tullamarine) to Bali (Denpasar) from $175
• Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City from $179
• Perth to Bali (Denpasar) from $135
• Sydney to Fiji (Nadi) from $169
• Sydney to Phuket from $175
• Melbourne (Tullamarine) to Auckland from $175
• Gold Coast (Coolangatta) to Christchurch from $159
• Sydney to Queenstown from $189
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