Qantas will recommence direct flights from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast from 17 December 2020, operating a daily seasonal service until 31 January 2021. It will be the first time in three years that Qantas has flown on the route.
The flights will be operated by a two-class Boeing 717 aircraft, offering more than 1500 seats each week. The airline will look to extend the service if there is strong demand.
Qantas will also restart flights from Sydney to Maroochydore on 1 December with five services a week, increasing to daily flights from 18 December. Jetstar will also recommence services to Maroochydore operating up 44 flights a week from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the new service would offer customers a premium leisure option just in time for the busy school holiday period.
“Queensland opening its borders to Greater Sydney and Victoria means we’re able to launch hundreds of additional services along the eastern seaboard to some of the most popular tourism destinations,” Mr Gissing said.
“We moved quickly to add flights to Queensland, and we are now expecting to be at 60 per cent of our pre-COVID-19 domestic capacity by the Christmas peak.
“We’re pleased to be able to add new routes where there is demand. These new flights are a huge win for local tourism operators who will benefit from an influx of visitors and help us to get more of our people back to work.”
