Qantas to operate first-ever Airbus A220 flights from S’pore in March
More than 10,000 extra seats will be added each year on Qantas flights between Singapore and Darwin, when the Australian carrier resumes the route in 2025 with a larger plane than originally planned.
The carrier, through its regional brand QantasLink, will fly five times a week between Changi Airport and the capital city of Australia’s Northern Territory from March 30, 2025, using 137-seat Airbus A220 planes. It announced this on Oct 16.
This will mark the first time that an A220 aircraft will operate to and from Singapore, and the first time Qantas is using the plane outside its home country. It started tapping the new single-aisle jet in March 2024 on domestic routes.
It is also the first time the A220 will be operating in South-east Asia.
The A220 is European jet maker Airbus’ latest narrow-body jet. Qantas has said the new planes have a modern cabin design, 20 per cent more overhead locker space and are significantly more fuel-efficient than previous generation aircraft.
Qantas last operated direct flights between Singapore and Darwin in 2006 using wide-body Boeing 767 planes. In October that year, the airline’s low-cost subsidiary Jetstar took over the route, with the carrier saying then that Jetstar’s model and style of service was the most appropriate since the flights were primarily catered for inbound leisure travellers.
In 2014, Jetstar transferred its Darwin-Singapore flights to sister airline Jetstar Asia, which operated the route until August 2022. No specific reasons were given when the flights were stopped.
In January 2024, Qantas announced that it would restart the five-hour flights between the two cities.
It said the Darwin service would strengthen trade, business and tourism links between Singapore and Australia, and open up a one-stop option for Qantas passengers flying from Darwin to Europe and Asia via Singapore.
The original intention was for Qantas to start operating the route five days a week from Dec 9, 2024, using smaller Embraer E190 regional jets, most of which come in a 94-seat configuration.
The airline said at the time that the size, range and economics of the E190 allowed for the opening up of routes that would not be viable with larger aircraft.
However, in June 2024, Qantas delayed the launch of its Singapore-Darwin flights to March 2025, citing “operational and scheduling” reasons.
With the switch from the E190 to the A220, the airline said it will now be able to offer more than 70,000 seats on the route every year, up from the more than 60,000 before.
The A220 will come with 10 business-class seats in a 2-2 configuration and 127 economy seats in a 2-3 configuration.
The Straits Times understands that while the E190 has the range to operate between Singapore and Darwin, the A220 is seen as a better long-term fit. The plane’s additional capacity would allow Qantas to meet strong demand from the Republic, and better serve passengers with connections to London from Singapore.
Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said feedback on the plane so far has been “fantastic”. “Our new flight will make it much easier for our customers in Singapore to incorporate Darwin into their Australian itinerary,” he added.
The addition of Qantas flights between Singapore and Darwin will inject competition into a route that is currently served only by Singapore Airlines.
The national carrier operates the non-stop flights daily, using 154-seat Boeing 737-8 Max planes.
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