Starting December 18, 2020, the airline will operate four direct flights weekly with a 50 seat De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300, adding over 400 seats on the route weekly. This marks the first time that Qantas will offer service on the route, bringing new competition.
Today (October 9, 2020), Qantas announced the launch of all new service between Sydney and Merimbula with four flights weekly from December 18, 2020. The route will be serviced with a 50 seat Bombardier Q300 (now called a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300). The new service marks the first time Qantas will operate the route, bringing much needed connectivity and competition. In Friday’s announcement, QantasLink’s CEO, John Gissing, said,
With border restrictions fueling demand for intra-state travel, we see a big opportunity to bring more tourists to Merimbula. This will be the first time that the flying kangaroo has flown to the Sapphire Coast, which will mean more competitive fares on a route that has been a monopoly for decades. We’ll be promoting Merimbula to millions of our frequent flyers across the state in the lead up the flights commencing. These new flights will help more travellers explore the beautiful beaches and unique wildlife in and around Merimbula and give locals more choice in how they get to Sydney. We have a long history of serving regional Australia and we’re pleased to be able to support new routes where we see there is demand. It will also help us to get more of our people back to work.”
In July, Qantas launched two other intra-NSW routes including service between Sydney and Orange for the first time in 15 years as well as flights between Sydney and Byron Bay (Ballina). Frequency on the Byron Bay route has since increased from one to as many as four daily flights to meet robust demand. To celebrate the new service to Merimbula, Qantas has launched a three-day sale with one way tickets from AUD $149.
Source: Qantas