Qantas adjusts Darwin-Singapore route; delays Airbus A220-300 service

Qantas announced its return to this route in January 2024, aiming to provide more than 60,000 seats annually for Northern Territory residents traveling to Singapore. This move also facilitates connections for passengers on Qantas' QF1 'Kangaroo Route,' which stops in Singapore en route to London Heathrow Airport.

“Qantas has a long history of flying between Darwin and Singapore, with Darwin being the final Australia stop-over on the original Kangaroo Route from Australia to London in 1935," noted a spokesperson from Qantas. "In those days, the flight from Darwin to Singapore took five stops and four and a half days versus a four hours and 45 minutes flight on the new direct service.”

However, current booking systems show that travelers might still face up to two stops when flying from Darwin to Singapore due to connecting flights at Sydney and Melbourne airports.

“The new route has been made possible by the establishment of the E190 base at Darwin Airport," stated Qantas officials. "The size, range and economics of the aircraft open up routes that wouldn’t be viable with larger aircraft."

Data from Cirium's Diio Mi airline planning tool indicates that since Jetstar Asia withdrew from this route in August 2022, Singapore Airlines has been the sole operator. It initially offered three weekly flights but increased them progressively—first to five per week in July 2023 and then daily by April 2024—using its 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

This adjustment marks another attempt by Qantas after filing preliminary timings for a daily E190 service back in December 2022.