Qantas confirms Darwin as Perth replacement on direct London route

Darwin will temporarily replace Perth as the stop-off on Qantas Airways’ direct Australia-London services, the airline confirmed on 8 October. “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 Oneworld carrier states. The Sydney-Darwin-London service is expected to begin on 14 November, Qantas says, while the Melbourne-Darwin-London route is scheduled to launch on 18 December, both operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Qantas says the arrangement – which was agreed with the Northern Territory government and Darwin airport – will remain in place until at least April 2022, ”when London flights are scheduled to operate via Perth again”. The temporary shift to Darwin had been mooted by Qantas in recent weeks as a result of differing border policies from Australia’s state governments.<br/>