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Speaker 1: And in some good news, we know that another new

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Speaker 1: flight service has been announced for the Northern Territory, with

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Speaker 1: Air Asia Malaysia launching direct flights between Darwin and Kuala Lumpa.

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Speaker 1: The first flight is scheduled for June twenty seven, with

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Speaker 1: four weekly return services on the airline's Airbus A three

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Speaker 1: two one aircraft. Now it is the fourth new direct

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Speaker 1: route announced for the Northern Territory since the start of

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Speaker 1: the year. And joining me on the line is the

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Speaker 1: Airport Development Group's Executive General Manager of Airports, Rob Porter.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Rob, Good morning Taty.

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Speaker 1: How are you, yeah, really good, Thank you so much

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Speaker 1: for your time this morning. Rob. How many seats is

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Speaker 1: this new route going to create?

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Speaker 2: Oh, look, I think that the seats are going to

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Speaker 2: be absolutely amazing, somewhere between sixty thousand seas to be

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Speaker 2: available for Northern Territorians and more importantly Malaysians to come

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Speaker 2: down and visit the territory. So just like it's just fantastic.

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Speaker 1: Tell us a bit more about what days the service

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Speaker 1: is going to operate and that kind of thing.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we are for for services a week, so Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,

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Speaker 2: and I think it's a Friday. But check of the

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Speaker 2: website and when you're in the website you'll see what

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Speaker 2: an amazing deal it's on offer for those that get

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Speaker 2: in early. So I think you can get to KL

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Speaker 2: for about one hundred and eighty nine bucks, which is

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Speaker 2: just fantom.

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Speaker 1: That is good, it's good going, and it's like Rob,

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Speaker 1: it's just good to see that there's finally some more

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Speaker 1: flights for us in the Northern Territory and at an

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Speaker 1: affordable price. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Look, you know we've been on about this little while

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Speaker 2: now and you know we've seen the Corners Group respond

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Speaker 2: with some domestic seats. You know, we now we've now

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Speaker 2: got a service to the Gold Coast coming and we're seeing,

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Speaker 2: you know, now friends down there at our springs also

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Speaker 2: get some connectivity. And I think that, yeah, look it's time.

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Speaker 2: You know, we've been in been in a sleep and

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Speaker 2: now we're all awake and now we're ready to get

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Speaker 2: stuck into some travel.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we're all ready to go. And it is a

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Speaker 1: boost in regards to that connectivity between the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: and Asia. I mean, what kind of opportunities do you

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Speaker 1: think that creates for travelers?

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Speaker 2: So I think the key here is is that you know,

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Speaker 2: we can get over to kail Lampa and Kia Lump

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Speaker 2: is an amazing city and got some amazing sites. And

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Speaker 2: if you're a golfer, they've got some amazing golf course.

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Speaker 2: If you're a shop over, there's some amazing shopping over

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Speaker 2: there as well. But for those that are looking to

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Speaker 2: travel onward, and you know, we do know the northern territory.

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Speaker 2: You know people here who want to explore, and so

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Speaker 2: when you get to Ko, then you can link to Thailand,

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Speaker 2: you can get to Vietnam, you can certainly get to

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Speaker 2: Hong Kong, Slanka, Philippines, India and Japan. Like I think

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Speaker 2: there's one hundred and thirty destinations that the Air Asia serve.

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Speaker 2: So you know, they're just an amazing, amazing partner.

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Speaker 1: I mean when you look at that and you look

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Speaker 1: at the fact that they are recognized as being one

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Speaker 1: of the world's best sort of low cost airlines, what

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Speaker 1: can we take from their decision then to invest in

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Speaker 1: the Darwin market.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they've got some confidence in us, and I think

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Speaker 2: you know, what we're seeing with the tourism industry here

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Speaker 2: is far more collaboration, far more working together and as

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Speaker 2: a result of that, we're able to come as a

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Speaker 2: as a combined unit and put a proposal in front

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Speaker 2: of in front of the airlines. Look, air Asia, sorry,

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Speaker 2: air Asia is a fun airline and we love to

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Speaker 2: have fun here in the territory. So you know, it's

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Speaker 2: been a great partnership with the team up there in

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Speaker 2: kal Is there?

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Speaker 1: I mean, is there sort of any further announcements Do

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Speaker 1: you think I'm not expecting you to tell us anything

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Speaker 1: that you're not supposed to, but do you anticipate that

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Speaker 1: there could be sort of further expansions on the cards

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Speaker 1: for Air Asia in the Northern Territory following this.

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Speaker 2: Look, I think I think we've got some great services

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Speaker 2: with Air Asia, right, so we've got we've got connectivity

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Speaker 2: with Dempasarro Bali now and that that first flight arrives

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Speaker 2: on the weekend will bed down the quite a lump

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Speaker 2: of service. But they're a great partner. So you know,

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Speaker 2: I was talking to the team this morning and their

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Speaker 2: view is never saying ever, the most important thing is

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Speaker 2: that we show our faith in Air Asia and we

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Speaker 2: book seats and we go over and explore. We love Deempantsar,

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Speaker 2: we love Bali, but you take the time to expre

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Speaker 2: explore kl as well. What's really cool, what's really cool Cay, sorry, mate,

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Speaker 2: is that they're really keen to explore the territory as well.

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Speaker 2: So Malaysians. You know, the proof will be when we're

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Speaker 2: seeing Malaysians in Kakadu and wandering through Kuinda and heading

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Speaker 2: down to the Rock and spending some time in ours.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, let's get all that in place in the

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Speaker 2: airlines will follow us.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I hope, so, I hope that it does. Mean

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Speaker 1: we see sort of a bit of a boost to

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Speaker 1: tourism for us here in the Northern Territory, Rob in

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Speaker 1: terms of the support that the Airport Development Group has

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Speaker 1: had to sort of provide or has there been further

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Speaker 1: support that you have had to provide in an effort

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Speaker 1: to secure this new service or the other new services

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Speaker 1: that have come online.

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Speaker 2: So we you know, we work with the Northern Territory

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Speaker 2: Government through the Aviation Attraction Scheme and that's both of

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Speaker 2: us put you know, putting all our put our goods

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Speaker 2: on the table and seeing a combined off of what

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Speaker 2: that looks like. And you know what's clear from the

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Speaker 2: Airport Development Group is we're keen to invest We see

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Speaker 2: this contribution to the Northern Territory economy in terms of

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Speaker 2: incentivizing airlines to come here as an investment in the territory.

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Speaker 2: We've got a great compelling reason for people to come

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Speaker 2: and visit us. And that's why you know, we, as

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Speaker 2: in conjunction with the Northern Territory Government, see these investments

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Speaker 2: as good solid investment decisions.

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Speaker 1: And with some of those new direct routes that have

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Speaker 1: been announced, I have how many of those have sort

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Speaker 1: of commenced and how are they going at this point.

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Speaker 2: Yes, so early sales you Balley starts on the weekend

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Speaker 2: and Erasia starts to a quite a lumper in June,

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Speaker 2: so we've seen some good signs in terms of those

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Speaker 2: early ticket sales. We've seen the hours services do really well.

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Speaker 2: So Cans and Kansas has not yet started, so that's

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Speaker 2: in a few weeks. The per services doing really well.

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Speaker 2: So look, I think very early days, but we're seeing

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Speaker 2: people respond in booking, booking their seats, and I encourage

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Speaker 2: you all to take a holiday or book a seat.

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Speaker 2: It'll be it'll be the way that we hang onto

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Speaker 2: these airlines.

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Speaker 1: So Rob just a listener question. Someone's called in and

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Speaker 1: said when the Air Asia KL flights, when are they like,

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Speaker 1: when they're available? She says she can't find them at

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Speaker 1: the moment. Can people start booking?

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Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, so I'll follow that up with you, Katie,

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Speaker 2: because I've really just announced at eight o'clock this morning,

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Speaker 2: so just getting our stuff together, but it won't be

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Speaker 2: too long before you be able to jump on to

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Speaker 2: to find your flights.

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Speaker 1: To KA good good stuff. Well, Rob Porter, lovely to

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Speaker 1: catch up with you this morning, mate, Thanks so much

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Speaker 1: for your time.

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Speaker 2: No thanks again, Katie, Thank you.

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Speaker 1: You two