THE new Qantas route that will connect passengers from Mildura to Sydney is still on track to take off at the end of March, despite global flight cuts.
Australia’s largest airline has cut nearly a quarter of its international flight capacity to Asia, North America, Europe and New Zealand due to the coronavirus COVID-19.
The decision to slash flights came two weeks before QantasLink was due to roll out its Mildura to Sydney schedule, the first direct flights since Rex left the route October 2018.
But QantasLink will still launch the new service as planned, departing Sydney on Sunday, March 29 with the first return flight the following day.
Flights will depart Mildura about 7am each week on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, with flights departing Sydney about 7pm each Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Qantas also reassured passengers three weeks ago that the new service would start as planned, when an earlier reduction in flights was announced.
Across the international and domestic network, 38 Qantas and Jetstar aircrafts will be grounded, including eight of the airline’s Airbus A380s.
A number of regular flight services will also be re-routed, delayed or suspended over the next six months.
Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce said on Tuesday management bonuses had been “set to zero” and the executive team will take a significant pay cut for the rest of the financial year.
“Less flying means less work for our people, but we know coronavirus will pass and we want to avoid job losses wherever possible,” he said.
“When revenue falls you need to cut costs, and reducing the amount of flying we do is the best way for us to do that.
“It’s hard to predict how long this situation will last, which is why we’re moving now to make sure we remain well positioned.”
More information for Qantas customers with international bookings can be found on the airline’s website.
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