For the first time in over 5 years, direct flights from Sydney will touchdown at Mackay Airport tomorrow, in time for the Christmas and summer holiday period.
Jetstar will be operating a 186 seat A320 aircraft on this route three times a week. Departing Sydney at 3.40pm and arriving in Mackay at 5.00pm with the return flight departing at 5.40pm.
Garry Porter, Chief Operating Officer of North Queensland Airports said the opening of interstate borders has been timely to bring back direct flights from Sydney. “We’re really excited to welcome back direct interstate services to the Mackay Isaac region and I applaud the team at Jetstar for their bold vision introducing these services. As soon as flights were announced at the end of October there was a surge in demand. This connection to one of Australia’s largest cities has provided families and friends the opportunity to reconnect, and residents of New South Wales the opportunity to come and explore the beautiful Mackay Isaac region.”
“In 2019 we saw demand for domestic tourism increase in Mackay by 20 percent and the Whitsunday region by 34 percent, so we know there’s strong demand in our region for new and emerging regional tourism opportunities. New tourism activities such as Wild Cat, providing tours to islands like Keswick and Brampton, will showcase our region to interstate visitors who will spread the word to others.”
Jetstar Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Alan McIntyre said we’re excited to be launching the first interstate route out of Mackay since 2016. We expect to be carrying more than 4,000 visitors between the two destinations each month which will deliver a significant tourism boost to the Mackay region.
The service will operate three times per week Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Initially a seasonal service, we are working closely with Jetstar to evaluate extending the schedule further into 2022.
