Qantas to Recommence Kangaroo Route

Qantas will operate its flagship direct route from Australia to London via Darwin when international flights resume next month with the reopening of Australia’s border.

The national carrier has reached an agreement with the Northern Territory Government and Darwin Airport to temporarily reroute its flights from Melbourne and Sydney through Darwin.

The Darwin hub arrangement will be in place in time for borders reopening from November 14, 2021, until at least April 2022 when London flights are scheduled to operate via Perth again. While this is a temporary change to the route, Qantas will watch how it performs and is open-minded about what it could lead to down the track.

The Sydney-Darwin-London route will begin on November 14, while the Melbourne-Darwin-London route is currently scheduled to begin on December 18, 2021, but could start earlier depending on discussions with the Victorian Government on shorter quarantine arrangements for returning travellers.

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The passenger transit arrangements will be split into two stages to reflect Covid-safe arrangements in the Northern Territory itself. In stage one, transiting passengers from all Australian states, or returning from London, will be able to visit the international lounge (below) and shops at Darwin Airport.

Passengers travelling from London to Sydney and Melbourne via Darwin and wanting to travel onwards to other Australian cities may also be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.

In stage two, transiting passengers will have the option to leave the terminal and visit Darwin, providing a tangible tourism boost for the city. Darwin-based customers will also be able to book the direct flight meaning a convenient non-stop connection to London.

Qantas will operate its flagship direct route from Australia to London via Darwin when international flights resume next month with the reopening of Australia’s border.

As a result of repatriation flights, this year marks the first time Qantas has operated flights into Darwin Airport from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, making it the first airport in Australia to have received non-stop flights from all inhabited continents of the world.

QF1 will take off from November 14, 2021, departing Sydney five times a week at 6.30 pm, landing in Darwin at 9.25 pm for a brief refuelling stop ahead of the 13,800km, 17-hour, 20-minute direct journey to London’s Heathrow Airport.

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All passengers on Qantas’ international flights will be required to be fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved or recognised vaccine (some exemptions for medical reasons and children remain). They will also be required to return a negative PCR Covid test at least 48 hours prior to departure and home quarantine for seven days on arrival into New South Wales.

Along with the Sydney to London via Darwin service, Qantas will restart its flights from Sydney to Los Angeles in November.

All other international routes that were scheduled to resume from December 18, 2021, will continue as planned, although the Group has the flexibility to add additional routes if other states and territories decide to open their borders earlier and reduce quarantine requirements to seven days at home, or less

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The Art of Business Travel is Asia-Pacific's leading portal for corporate travel news and views. We cover everything from airline routes and airport developments, to new hotels, meeting venues, loyalty schemes, and entertaining.