The strict travel restrictions in Western Australia are preventing the resumption of the scheduled service via Perth for the time being. Qantas was therefore forced to look for an alternative, which was found in Darwin. That city’s airport already served as a springboard to and from Europe for repatriation flights.
Initially, travelers will not be allowed to leave Darwin Airport during the stopover. This should be possible at a later stage, so that local tourism gets a boost. Although this is in principle a temporary change in flight schedules, Qantas does not rule out the possibility of a continuation of the long-haul flights via Darwin.
The Sydney-Darwin-London route will start on November 14, while the Melbourne-Darwin-London start is scheduled for December 18. A possible earlier resumption of the route from Melbourne is still under negotiation.
The direct flight from Darwin to London covers a distance of 13,800 kilometers. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that Qantas deploys five times a week on the Sydney-Darwin-London route takes 17 hours and 20 minutes.
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