The airline will fly to and from Albury and Brisbane on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays in a Q400 aircraft, with the schedule to begin on 1 July and continue until 26 September.
AlburyCity Mayor Kevin Mack said it was not only great news for the local tourism sector which will welcome visiting snow-lovers, but also an exciting development for local people wanting to enjoy Queensland’s warmer weather during the winter months.
“We’re very excited to be welcoming this new service from Qantas at a time when our tourism businesses are recovering from the effects of COVID-19 so having this new direct link into the important Queensland market will put smiles on lots of faces,” he said.
AlburyCity will work with Qantas to promote the new service alongside those already offered by our two major airline partners.
“We are really pleased to be able to work with Qantas to bring this new service to our airport, which is the region’s aerial gateway to the ski fields,” Cr Mack said.
“As we’re an easy drive to the major north east resorts, flights direct to Albury will have our Queensland visitors on the slopes soon after landing, which is great news as we all work together to rebuild our visitor economy.
“Increased visitation to our alpine resorts is good news for everyone, with the flow-on economic benefits to be felt by business and tourism operators across a wide spectrum of the sector.”
The direct flights will provide a total of more than 5,700 seats on the route throughout winter.
Qantas plans to work with the ski resorts and transport operators to promote the flights to the airline’s frequent flyers, with fares to start from $239 one-way.
Cr Mack has urged the local community to support the new service.
“Our community is already well served by existing air services and we know that Albury-Brisbane flights have been well received by regional residents in the past,” he said.
“Whether locals are using the service to enjoy some Queensland sunshine in winter, or to welcome visitors flying in from Queensland, it will be fantastic to see the new routes well patronised as we continually work to expand and improve the air links between Albury and the world.”
Qantas will also commence direct flights from Albury to Melbourne at the end of March.
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