Qantas to Launch New Routes, Increase Capacity to North Coast

Qantas has said that it will add three new routes and extra seats to the New South Wales north coast to support growing demand for holidays in Australia.

From 1 April 2021, Qantas will launch three new routes to both Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay (Ballina).

The Melbourne to Coffs Harbour flights will operate daily with Qantas’ Boeing 717 aircraft, adding more than 1,750 seats on the route each week.

The Brisbane to Coffs Harbour flights will operate four days per week with turboprop Q400 aircraft, adding around 600 seats on the route each week.

Canberra to Byron Bay, Qantas’ first ever direct service connecting the two destinations, will have two flights per week with turboprop Q400 aircraft.

Flights will initially operate in April and Qantas will look to continue the service from July in line with demand.

More seats will also be added between Sydney and Coffs Harbour with the introduction of Qantas’ larger two-class B717 aircraft during the April school holidays, operating alongside the Q400 which also operate on the route. This will see Qantas offer around 500 extra seats on the route each week, for a total of 4,300 seats, and the option to travel in Business Class.

QantasLink CEO, John Gissing, said, “With international borders closed, we want to make it even easier for travellers to holiday around Australia. The beautiful coastal hubs of Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour continue to be incredibly popular with travellers, so it makes sense to provide direct connections from other capital cities to make them even more accessible. Travellers from Canberra can spend more time on the beach and less time on their journey with our direct service to Byron Bay.”

Qantas currently operates up to 20 return flights per week between Sydney and Ballina Byron Bay and 28 weekly return flights between Sydney and Coffs Harbour.

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