Virgin Australia suspends direct flights between Darwin and Adelaide

Virgin Australia has confirmed it is cutting direct flights between Darwin and Adelaide during the Top End’s popular tourism season this year.

A spokesperson for the carrier has confirmed it is dumping the route, which was set to return from June 22.

The service was scheduled to operate three return flights per week during the peak season.

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

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

A Virgin plane flying in the sky in Brisbane.
Virgin says its total seat capacity through Darwin will increase about 9 per cent overall. (ABC News: Christopher Gillette)

The spokesperson said the airline made the decision to cut the Adelaide route so it could add more peak season direct flights between Darwin and Brisbane, and Darwin and Melbourne.

“This will see Virgin Australia increase seat capacity through Darwin by approximately 9 per cent compared to the same period last year [from June to August, 2024],” they said.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro described the decision to can the Adelaide route as “awful and unbelievable”.

Lia Finocchiaro in ABC Darwin's Radio Studio
Lia Finocchiaro says airlines should be “held accountable for what they’re doing to regional Australia”. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)

“This is a big part of why we need to rebuild the economy,” she told ABC Radio Darwin on Tuesday.

“We need to grow our population, we need more business happening here.

“And these airlines need to be held accountable for what they’re doing to regional Australia.”

Despite Darwin’s position as an Australian capital, the NT city has long suffered from a lack of flight availability and exorbitant flight prices.

There are currently no direct daytime flights between Darwin and Melbourne, despite airlines flying regularly from Melbourne to regional cities including Coffs Harbour in NSW and Burnie in Tasmania.

Qantas to add dry season flights

Virgin’s change to its flight schedule comes as Qantas adds flights between Darwin and Singapore, and Darwin and Canberra.

The flights from Canberra coincide with the Top End’s peak tourism season and run from June to October this year, while the new direct flights from Singapore begin servicing the region from March 30.

A long line at the Darwin Airport check-in counter during the COVID-19 lockdown.
A deal which would have brought more international flights to the NT fell through last year due to ongoing major runway works. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

In another addition to the NT’s aviation sector, Air Asia announced on January 8 it would resume flights between Darwin and Bali after a period of absence.

The ABC revealed last year that a previous deal to see Air Asia return to Darwin had fallen over, with the NT’s Airport Development Group blaming ongoing runway works for the decision.

LEAVE A REPLY

- Our Partners -

DON'T MISS

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -