Qantas new flights to Canberra take-off

On Saturday, Qantas operated its first flight from Cairns to Canberra, the second of three new routes to launch from the nation’s capital in the next fortnight.  

Flights will operate three times per week with the Qantas’ dual class Boeing 717 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in Business and 98 seats in Economy. 

The additional flying will see Qantas operate close to 80 flights from Cairns each week.

The national carrier has seen strong demand for intrastate services into Cairns over the past few months due to ongoing border closures. This demand is also reflected in accommodation, with Qantas Hotel bookings in Tropical North Queensland up more than 60% this November-to-date compared with the same period last year. During the September school holidays, Cairns-Brisbane was Qantas’ most popular domestic route, up from number 14 last year. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qantas has introduced a number of initiatives to encourage customers to book with greater flexibility, as well as to improve safety and peace-of-mind when travelling domestically through its  Fly Well program.