Qantas to operate five weekly flights from Singapore to Darwin, starting March 2025

SINGAPORE: Qantas announced on Wednesday (Oct 16) that it will fly five times a week between Singapore and Darwin from  March 30, 2025. This new service will add over 10,000 extra seats each year, using the Airbus A220 aircraft.

According to The Straits Times, this will be the first time Qantas uses the A220 outside Australia and the first time the Airbus A220 will operate in South-East Asia.

QantasLink, the carrier’s regional brand, will connect Changi Airport in Singapore with Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. The single-aisle, narrow-body A220 features a modern cabin design, offering 137 seats, 10 in business class and 127 in the economy. The seating arrangement includes a comfortable 2-2 layout in business class and a 2-3 layout in economy.

Qantas started using the Airbus A220 on domestic flights in March 2024. Feedback has been positive, as the A220 offers 20 per cent more overhead storage and improved fuel efficiency compared to older planes.

Qantas last operated direct flights between Singapore and Darwin in 2006 using Boeing 767 aircraft. After that, the airline’s low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar, took over the route, focusing on inbound leisure travellers. By 2014, Jetstar transferred the Darwin-Singapore flights to its sister airline, Jetstar Asia, which flew the route until August 2022. The reasons for stopping the flights have not been disclosed.

In January 2024, Qantas announced plans to resume direct flights between Singapore and Darwin, stating that this service would strengthen trade, business, and tourism ties between Singapore and Australia. The new flights will also offer a one-stop option for passengers flying from Darwin to Europe and Asia via Singapore.

Initially, Qantas planned to operate the route five days a week from December 9, 2024, using the smaller Embraer E190 regional jets, which have 94 seats. This was seen as a good choice due to the plane’s size and economics for new routes. However, in June 2024, the airline postponed the launch to March 2025, citing operational and scheduling issues.

Switching from the E190 to the A220 will allow Qantas to offer over 70,000 seats annually on the route, up from the earlier estimate of over 60,000.

Cam Wallace, the CEO of Qantas International, shared “fantastic” feedback about the new aircraft, stating that it will make travel “much easier” for customers in Singapore who want to include a visit to Darwin in their Australia itinerary.

The addition of Qantas flights between Singapore and Darwin will bring more competition to a route currently served only by Singapore Airlines (SIA), which operates daily non-stop flights using Boeing 737-8 Max planes with 154 seats. /TISG

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