Qantas is adding flights to Tasmania from next month and beyond.
Qantas will be starting three weekly flights from Sydney to Launceston from December 4th,2020 using Boeing B717 aircraft. The next week, it will be increasing it to four return services a week until February 1st. This is the first time Qantas will fly the route since 2004.
Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David stated the following:
“As the national carrier, we’re delighted to add direct flights between Launceston and Sydney for the first time in 16 years. We know there is huge pent-up demand for domestic travel with Australians looking for new destinations to explore. These new services to Launceston will help more people discover Tasmania’s beautiful north and give locals more options to get to Sydney. We’ll keep a close eye on demand and if it proves successful we will look to extend the service. We’re delighted to be reconnecting Australia and these flights will help more of our people get back to work.”
Qantas will resume flights between Hobart International Airport and Sydney, operating 11 flights a week from November 6th,2020. Some flights will be on Boeing 717s, while others are scheduled to operate using Boeing 737s. Jetstar, Qantas’ low-cost arm, will be flying two new routes between Brisbane and Gold Coast to Hobart.
For now, we can clearly see that Qantas is totally focusing on domestic routes due to the pandemic. With 10% of its summer network currently devoted to Tasmania, it shows that Qantas is betting there is pent up demand and will be profitable for the carrier.