Qantas to start flights from Darwin to Singapore

Preliminary schedules are now removed. The route seems quite dead.

www.aeroroutes.com

Qantas Removes Darwin – Singapore Schedules From June 2023 — AeroRoutes

Published at 1300GMT 03MAR23 Qantas Airways since mid-February 2023 removed preliminary schedule listing of Darwin – Singapore route, initially listed with Alliance Airlines Embraer E190 aircraft. Prior to schedule removal, the airline was displaying 1 daily flight from 23JUN23, with following s
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Qantas has announced it is launching a second international route from Darwin, with direct flights from the Northern Territory to Singapore.
From 9 December 2024, flights will initially operate five days per week with the dual-class Embraer E190 aircraft, increasing to daily from March 2025.* The new route has been made possible by the establishment of the E190 base at Darwin Airport, with the size, range and economics of the aircraft opening up routes that that wouldn’t be viable with larger aircraft, including the launch of international flights to Dili in 2022.
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Poor Adelaide still can't land a Qantas international service
 
I first had a laugh when I saw the aircraft, then I realised this is no 1st April joke. Great to have this connection but yeah, wouldn’t be on top of my choice aircraft wise I guess.
IMG_9703.jpeg
 
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When I lived in Darwin about 15 years ago QF81/82 was ADL-DRW-SIN & return (A330).

E190 perfect aircraft for the route (DRW-SIN), demand is not enough to sustain a 737 or larger. I assume it would be a candidate for A220 in later years once the 717s have been replaced.

It will give a few more options for oneworld RTW tickets.
 
Off Topic, but does QF even have a plane they can spare to run Intl Ops out of ADL?
Can the 738s even reach SIN? I doubt there's any widebody spare atm.
 
justinbrett said:
When I lived in Darwin about 15 years ago QF81/82 was ADL-DRW-SIN & return (A330).

E190 perfect aircraft for the route (DRW-SIN), demand is not enough to sustain a 737 or larger. I assume it would be a candidate for A220 in later years once the 717s have been replaced.

It will give a few more options for oneworld RTW tickets.
Click to expand...
I thought it was CNS-DRW-SIN which didnt last long and was replaced by Australian Airlines (Pre JQ leisure carrier) on the 767.
 
justinbrett said:
When I lived in Darwin about 15 years ago QF81/82 was ADL-DRW-SIN & return (A330).

E190 perfect aircraft for the route (DRW-SIN), demand is not enough to sustain a 737 or larger. I assume it would be a candidate for A220 in later years once the 717s have been replaced.

It will give a few more options for oneworld RTW tickets.
Click to expand...
I didn't realise 81/82 used to go through DRW! I only remember when it was the SYD-ADL-SIN.

I used to go in and out of DRW from SIN a few times a year before COVID on Jetstar, interesting to see it go to QantasLink now instead.

elanshin said:
Can the 738s even reach SIN? I doubt there's any widebody spare atm.
Click to expand...
The great circle distance is 2,912nm and the 738s published range is 2,935nm so while technically possible it would need a bunch of blocked seats (I suppose to the point of not being economical, since they never gave that a shot).
 
jrfsp said:
I thought it was CNS-DRW-SIN which didnt last long and was replaced by Australian Airlines (Pre JQ leisure carrier) on the 767.
Click to expand...

Nah, that was never QF*.

Australian Airlines (AO) flew CNS-DRW-SIN, and QF81/82 went direct around 2007-ish. When Australian Airlines was folded it became a JQ route.

*I think there was possibly a brief period where AO aircraft (767s) flew as QF until JQ took over.
 
justinbrett said:
When I lived in Darwin about 15 years ago QF81/82 was ADL-DRW-SIN & return (A330).

E190 perfect aircraft for the route (DRW-SIN), demand is not enough to sustain a 737 or larger. I assume it would be a candidate for A220 in later years once the 717s have been replaced.

It will give a few more options for oneworld RTW tickets.
Click to expand...

Yes, I did QF81 a couple of time (around 2003-5) from ADL-DRW, was a nice use of upgrade credits (remember those?) on a domestic sector, IIRC on skybeds (MKI) when they were quite a novelty and shiny and new. Also started a DCIRC using QF81 from DRW-SIN, after needing to be in KNX for work once.


justinbrett said:
Nah, that was never QF*.

Australian Airlines (AO) flew CNS-DRW-SIN, and QF81/82 went direct around 2007-ish. When Australian Airlines was folded it became a JQ route.

*I think there was possibly a brief period where AO aircraft (767s) flew as QF until JQ took over.
Click to expand...

If you go back far enough, QF did operate CNS-DRW-SIN before they turned it over to Australian Airlines, as QF61/62 (I think). In my flight database I can see that in 1994, in one of my earliest business trips, I took QF62 from DRW-CNS before transferring to a purely domestic flight to SYD. I'm fairly confident that the flight originated in SIN.
 
dajop said:
Yes, I did QF81 a couple of time (around 2003-5) from ADL-DRW, was a nice use of upgrade credits (remember those?) on a domestic sector, IIRC on skybeds (MKI) when they were quite a novelty and shiny and new. Also started a DCIRC using QF81 from DRW-SIN, after needing to be in KNX for work once.




If you go back far enough, QF did operate CNS-DRW-SIN before they turned it over to Australian Airlines, as QF61/62 (I think). In my flight database I can see that in 1994, in one of my earliest business trips, I took QF62 from DRW-CNS before transferring to a purely domestic flight to SYD. I'm fairly confident that the flight originated in SIN.
Click to expand...

OK memory a bit fuzzy, but thanks to wayback machine and QF PDF timetables stored on it, I've worked it out for at least the period I lived in Darwin (which saw all three airlines on the DRW-SIN route).

There was definitely a period of no AO in DRW and QF not flying CNS-DRW-SIN (it was flying ADL-DRW-SIN), although I don't doubt they may have done it many years to go, just no way to verify it online.

2003 NW (earliest available on wayback)
3x QF (ADL-DRW-SIN)
1705478460435.png

2005 NW
3xQF (ADL-DRW-SIN)
1xAO (CNS-DRW-SIN)

1705477580590.png

2006 NS
3xQF (2x ADL-DRWxSIN, 1x BNE-DRW-SIN)
5xQF*AO (CNS-DRW-SIN)
1705477926192.png

2006 NW
4xQF*AO (CNS-DRW-SIN) - ended Oct 2026
7xJQ (CNS-DRW-SIN)
1705478238218.png

2007 NS
7xJQ (CNS-DRW-SIN)
1705478347644.png
 
Will these be operating with blocked seats? Right at the edge of the range for the E190.
The E190 on MEL-DRW has been stopping in ASP for fuel a few times lately during poor weather
 

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