International and interstate tourists can now fly direct from Darwin and Adelaide to Uluru — the monolith formally known as Ayers Rock — in Australia's "Red Centre".
Surprisingly, operator Qantas says these are the first direct commercial flights to the iconic tourist attraction from both cities.
The twice-weekly flights were in response to growing demand from travelers wanting to visit the Red Centre, the airline said. They add more than 700 seats to the destination.
“We’re seeing more demand for travel to Uluru from international and interstate tourists than we have seen in a long time. In the past few years the Qantas Group has added new routes and more flights to Uluru from Brisbane and Sydney and now Adelaide and Darwin,” said Qantas Domestic chief executive Andrew David.
“The direct flights offer a new convenient option from Adelaide and Darwin, saving travelers up to five hours’ time instead of traveling on flights via other cities.”
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Officials from NT Airports, which runs Darwin International Airport, expect the new service to be attractive to time-poor Asian and European travelers because traveling via Darwin cuts their travel time by up to five hours.
“The direct flights from Darwin to Uluru will give both locals and international tourists extra options when planning their visit to the Red Centre,’’ NT airports chief executive Ian Kew said.
“For the many Territorians who have never visited Uluru, this is a great chance for them to tick it off their bucket list.
“This is a huge opportunity to turbocharge the tourism industry and attract more interstate and international visitors to the Top End as well as the Red Centre.”
Voyages chief executive Grant Hunt said the new direct routes would create opportunities for both the leisure and business events sectors at a time Uluru has experienced a huge leap in visitation.
“Initiatives such as Bruce Munro’s Field of Light Uluru have attracted more than 200,000 guests since opening in 2016, providing travelers with the impetus to book now and helping turn Uluru into a year-round destination,” he said.
These new flights were announced last November as part adjustments to the Qantas Group’s Northern Territory network in response to market changes.
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