Virgin Australia ‘indefinitely suspends’ direct flights between Darwin and Adelaide

A reshuffle of the airline’s schedule during the Top End’s busiest tourist season will cut its direct Darwin-Adelaide route, while increasing seats on other legs. Read the details.

Virgin Australia will cut its direct Darwin-Adelaide route during the Top End’s busiest tourist season this year.

The route was set to return from June 22, running three return flights per week during the peak season, however a spokesman confirmed it had been scrapped from the airline’s schedule.

“We have made the difficult decision to indefinitely suspend our seasonal Adelaide-Darwin route based on low forecast demand,” he said.

Virgin said guests booked on the service would be placed on an alternative flight via Brisbane or Melbourne, or offered a full refund.

“Whilst we understand this will be disappointing for some guests, this enables us to reallocate capacity to markets where demand is higher,” the spokesman said.

Virgin Australia is cutting its seasonal Darwin-Adelaide route. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The schedule reshuffle will see Virgin increase seat capacity through Darwin by about six per cent compared with the same April to October period last year, driven by extra flights on Melbourne and Brisbane routes.

During the dry season Virgin will run up to two services per day from Brisbane, up to nine services per week from Melbourne, and between five and seven services per week from Perth.

Samantha Bennett general manager Tourism Top End.

Tourism Top End said Virgin’s decision to scrap the Darwin-Adelaide route was “undoubtedly disappointing” for both local tourism operators and the broader tourism industry, but hoped it would lead to new opportunities for the NT.

“It’s important to note that while this is a setback, the Darwin-Adelaide corridor continues to be served by both Qantas and Jetstar, ensuring that travel options remain available for both leisure and business customers,” general manager Samantha Bennett said.

“We do remain optimistic that this decision will lead to a more strategic focus on other key routes with increased seat capacity from both Brisbane-Darwin and Melbourne-Darwin.

“We hope Virgin Australia will continue to review its network and consider re-establishing services between Sydney and Darwin.

“We believe there is strong potential for growth on this route.

“The tourism sector is resilient, and the NT government continues to work closely with all airline partners, including Virgin Australia, to ensure the ongoing viability of our destinations and the tourism industry as a whole.”

Originally published as Virgin Australia ‘indefinitely suspends’ direct flights between Darwin and Adelaide