Extra million seats for Qantas passengers

Qantas will add an extra one million seats in and out of Adelaide as a result of the boom in domestic travel.

The nation’s premier airline announced a raft of services to and from the South Australian capital and a new Adelaide-Gold Coast route.

The new service will run four times a week.

Five Embraer E190 aircraft will be added to the Qantas fleet at Adelaide Airport and assist on QantasLink services to Darwin and Canberra.

The boost to QantasLink services is tipped to increase Qantas’s domestic capacity to 107 per cent above pre-coronavirus levels, while budget arm Jetstar is set to be flying at 120 per cent.

Additional services from Adelaide to Sydney and Melbourne will also be added to schedules across both Qantas and Jetstar.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said Qantas customers in Adelaide will be spoiled for choice. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De MarchiSource:News Corp Australia

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said using E190s from Adelaide instead of the airline’s larger 737 aircraft means it will give customers more choice in travel times.

“The E190 is a great aircraft for the Adelaide market, with its size, range and economics opening up a number of new destinations that wouldn’t be viable with the larger 737 aircraft,” Mr Joyce said.

“Instead of one or two flights a day with a larger aircraft, we can offer three or four flights a day on the E190, which gives customers a lot more choice about when they travel.”

Mr Joyce added the return of travel is providing a financial sugar hit to regional economies.

The new base for the 94-seat E190s is expected to create a further 200 jobs in South Australia, with the roles comprising pilots, crew and engineers.

The airline will start a direct Adelaide to Gold Coast service. Picture: Saeed Khan / AFPSource:AFP

The network deal is in partnership with Alliance Airlines and supported by the South Australian government.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said it would boost the state’s tourism and make a Adelaide a regional aviation hub.

“The base will create aviation and maintenance jobs, increase tourism and position Adelaide as Australia’s regional aviation hub,” he said.

“These are important priorities for our state’s economic development and represent a strong step forward in creating direct regional and international aviation connectivity.”

QantasLink also announced on Friday the return of its service from Melbourne to Burnie, Tasmania.

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