Qantas to revive daily direct flights between Darwin and Sydney from October 9

QANTAS is preparing to scale up its flights between Sydney and Darwin, with Sydneysiders set to travel freely into the NT from October 9.

• Sydneysiders set to be allowed to travel freely into the NT within weeks if COVID-19 cases continue to decrease

QANTAS is preparing to scale up its flights between Sydney and Darwin, with Sydneysiders set to travel freely into the NT from October 9.

The airline suspended direct flights after the NT declared Greater Sydney a COVID-19 hot spot on July 15.

The NT is now expected to revoke Greater Sydney’s hot spot status from October 9, allowing travellers from that area to freely enter the Territory without having to undergo 14 days in mandatory quarantine.

Troy Foster, 5, Matt Foster, Susan Bennett, Hayley Foster and (sleeping) Alex Foster, 3 flew into Darwin International Airport yesterday. They have recently relocated to Darwin from WA and SA. Picture: Che Chorley

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A Qantas spokeswoman said they would resume daily direct flights between Darwin and Sydney on October 9.

It comes after Qantas launched a petition calling for a common definition of a COVID hot spot, which would allow states and territories to reopen.

More than 6000 people from NSW have arrived in the NT since borders opened on July 17, making up about 8.6 per cent of NT’s total arrivals (70,909) as of yesterday.

The busiest flight route in the Territory at the moment is Brisbane, with an average of 16 flights per week.

There are daily Jetstar flights to Brisbane and four or five per week by Qantas and Virgin.

Antonio Mezzadoni and Ingrid Ieremie, from the Gold Coast, flew into Darwin International Airport yesterday. They intend to stay indefinitely. Picture: Che Chorley

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Gold Coast residents Ingrid Ieremie and Antonio Mezzadoni, who arrived on a Brisbane flight yesterday, said they had decided to come to the NT to stay indefinitely.

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Originally published as Qantas to revive daily direct flights between Darwin and Sydney from October 9