The Coalition has pledged to lower airfare prices in the NT by lifting cabotage restrictions that prevent foreign airlines from carrying passengers on domestic flights in Darwin, but has not confirmed any airline willing to do that and may find it difficult to attract any, an aviation expert said.
The campaign pledge would allow international airlines to operate domestic routes, transporting passengers and freight between Darwin and eastern capitals like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra, however previous attempts to implement the plan could not attract any foreign airlines.
Neil Hansford is right. Airlines won’t want to add a Darwin stop because most of their passengers won’t want it a stop is expensive, and we’re a small market. I saw this myself when Philippine Airlines did a Darwin stop between Manila and Brisbane, and the Queenslanders complained.
When were these previous attempts, before Qantas and Virgin jacked up their rates?
While the government says no way it will happen there is no chance it will happen. If there is an opening one never knows what may come out of it in the future.