NT Airports welcomes additional services

[Kurt A]

NT Airports welcomes additional Qantas services to Central Australia and the top end
18 March

Northern Territory Airports’ CEO Ian Kew last week welcomed Qantas’ plans to increase seat capacity to Darwin and Alice Springs between April and July. The service increases follow record numbers through Darwin International Airport over the last three months.

The additional services will come online progressively between April and July this year, with Qantas adding a number of supplementary services and up-gauging aircraft for the peak tourist season to both Darwin and Alice Springs. Compared to the current schedule, an additional 4,255 seats per week will operate to/from Darwin, and an additional 1,690 seats per week to/from Alice Springs.

The new and additional services include:
• +2 to 9 services per week Perth-Darwin (+1 in April, +1 in June)
• +4 to 14 services per week Sydney-Darwin (from June)
• Up-gauge of daily Adelaide-Darwin services from B737-800 to B767-300 (from July)
• +3 to 17 services per week Cairns-Darwin (from May)
• +3 to 17 services per week Alice Springs-Darwin (from April)
• +3 to 10 services per week Sydney – Alice Springs (from June)
• +1 to 3 services per week Brisbane – Alice Springs (from June, total 3 per week)

The NT is anticipating a bumper tourist season, with the opening of the Darwin Convention Centre, a number of new hotel developments and the Alice Springs Masters Games later this year.

Mr Kew said, “This year we have also dispelled the notion that people do not want to want to visit the Top End during the green season. I think in past years the reduction of seat capacity led to increased airfares, and as such, travel to the Top End was not price competitive with other Australian destinations.”

Darwin International Airport has had record passenger numbers in December, January and February. To facilitate this growth, the airport has invested over $70 million in the last three years
on major upgrades, including:

• runway resurfacing,
• a new aerobridge,
• refurbishment of the three existing aerobridges,
• New passenger seating for domestic and international passengers,
• New public toilets; and
• Relocation of the ground floor café to improve passenger circulation.

Mr Kew added, “We have a number of exciting projects in the planning stage that we hope to announce over the coming months”.

-Northern Territory Airports

[Bob C]

".......and up-gauging aircraft for the peak tourist season to both Darwin and Alice Springs. "

What sort of a comment is that ?

I've never seen that before and wonder if they don't mean "upgrading" which makes a lot more sense to me.