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Speaker 1: It is just on half past nine.

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Speaker 2: Now we know the highly anticipated Darwin London flight began

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Speaker 2: last night. It landed in Darwen on Monday from Sydney

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Speaker 2: before taking off for London.

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Speaker 1: Not sure what time.

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Speaker 2: Exactly, but joining me on the line to tell us

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Speaker 2: more about this is the acting Sea of NT Airports,

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Speaker 2: Tom Ganley, Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: Tomo Akatie.

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Speaker 1: How are you very well? Tom? What time did that

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Speaker 1: flight take off last night?

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Speaker 3: It took off at seven minutes past eleven and the

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Speaker 3: doors shut two minutes early actually, so it was a

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Speaker 3: great on time performance.

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Speaker 1: On how did it all go? Did it go off

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Speaker 1: without a hitch?

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Speaker 3: It went extremely well. So one hundred and seventy people

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Speaker 3: came up from Sydney and we had about thirty joiners

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Speaker 3: from Darwin, and you know in about six and a

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Speaker 3: half hours they'll be landing into a cool six degrees

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Speaker 3: in London.

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Speaker 2: It seems quite unbelievable, doesn't it, to be able to

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Speaker 2: get on a flight in Darwin and then get off

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Speaker 2: in London.

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Speaker 3: Well, you know, to go from twenty five degrees sort

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Speaker 3: of seventeen hours later you know you're at six degrees

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Speaker 3: and so you know they've tracked well, it's going to

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Speaker 3: be about half an hour early, so they've made great time.

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Speaker 2: And of those thirty that joined them last night with

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Speaker 2: a Territorians or were some of them staff as well.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so that half were staff for crew and half

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Speaker 3: were Territorians. So the flights can accommodate two hundred and

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Speaker 3: thirty six people and you know last night there were

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Speaker 3: about two hundred on board. So the return flight comes

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Speaker 3: in here on Wednesday and it arrives just before lunch

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Speaker 3: and Tom.

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Speaker 2: What's the process in terms of obviously that flight came

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Speaker 2: from Sydney, what is the process in terms of those

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Speaker 2: passengers that are on that initial flight and then transiting

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Speaker 2: obviously through Darwin, so the.

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Speaker 3: Passengers remain in the Darwen Transit lounge, so they remain

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Speaker 3: in the international part of the terminal. So there are

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Speaker 3: you know, there's the new Quantus lounge there, so many

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Speaker 3: of them got to access last night and you know

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Speaker 3: have a Haluxa and some dar and lemonade. But you know,

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Speaker 3: there are facilities there and it's about ninety minutes on

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Speaker 3: the ground, so it's a good chance to get a

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Speaker 3: leg stretch before you jump on board for the seventeen

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Speaker 3: hour flight.

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Speaker 1: And how often are the flights going to be operating now.

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Speaker 3: So up to five times per week and at the

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Speaker 3: end of the month of twenty seventh, in November, the

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Speaker 3: flight will also come from Melbourne to Darwin to London.

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Speaker 2: Right, And I know that a lot of people will

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Speaker 2: be wondering, you know, is there quite a bit happening

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Speaker 2: behind the scenes. I guess in an effort to try

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Speaker 2: and keep this flight, or keep both of those flights

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Speaker 2: running post the April date which is initially being given.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely. So we're working extremely hard with the Northern Territory Government,

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Speaker 3: Minister Files and also with Quantas just to continue these services.

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Speaker 3: Quantus see a great opportunity here to launch just from

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Speaker 3: our strategic geographic location. And we've also got flights to

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Speaker 3: India staff early December as well, and they're looking to

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Speaker 3: have those going daily by January. So there is a

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Speaker 3: wonderful opportunity for us, a wonderful opportunity for Territorians to

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Speaker 3: get on board and make these flights the success they

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Speaker 3: can be.

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Speaker 2: So Tom, sorry, just tell us a bit more about

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Speaker 2: that India one. So that's going to be happening daily up.

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Speaker 3: To so they've applied for daily services so from January.

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Speaker 3: So we'll start three times per week on the sixth

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Speaker 3: of December and it will land it to dear Gandhy Airport.

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Speaker 3: You know, just going from Sydney today and to Todaihi,

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Speaker 3: so a great opportunity. They're a three thirty aircraft, so

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Speaker 3: a beautiful aircraft to fly on.

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Speaker 2: How big an opportunity and I mean, how sort of

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Speaker 2: how big a positive is this four nty airports When

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Speaker 2: you look at you know, some of the concerns that

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Speaker 2: you probably had eighteen months ago when COVID really struck

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Speaker 2: and looking at the capacity at the airport and now

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Speaker 2: when you think about the fact that we've got you know,

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Speaker 2: these regular international flight it seems quite incredible.

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Speaker 3: It really is incredible, Katie. And it's a wonderful opportunity

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Speaker 3: for us to bring Australians to Darwin and if they

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Speaker 3: do need to connect to the rest of the world,

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Speaker 3: you know, we're a great launch point without having to

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Speaker 3: go through another port such as Singapore or Dubai and

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Speaker 3: you know, mixing with other people, you know, you're mixing

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Speaker 3: with Australians here and you're getting point to point services,

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Speaker 3: so you're getting a timely and a seamless travel experience.

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Speaker 2: And Tom, how things looking you know, even when you

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Speaker 2: look at those domestic flights as well.

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Speaker 1: Over the Christmas.

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Speaker 2: Period, is it going to be a busy time for

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Speaker 2: you out there at the airport.

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Speaker 3: It is going to be busy and we really recommend people,

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Speaker 3: you know, strongly consider their travel plans book now and

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Speaker 3: just so you know there are services here so you're

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Speaker 3: not disappointed if you do decide to go later. It

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Speaker 3: is looking to be a very busy period. And yeah,

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Speaker 3: we're back open twenty four hours a day, which is excellent.

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Speaker 2: It is and you mentioned it before, I bought that

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Speaker 2: new lounge, so what is it? Is it the new

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Speaker 2: international lounge there for those passengers that are traveling obviously

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Speaker 2: over to London or India.

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Speaker 3: Yes, so's the Catalina lounge that was previously used for

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Speaker 3: international operations. Quantus has taken over that lounge and it's

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Speaker 3: got a capacity of up to one hundred people so

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Speaker 3: have made it a truly you know, luxury experience for

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Speaker 3: those those members of the Quantus Club and you're able

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Speaker 3: to use that experience. So coming into Darwen and leaving Darwin,

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Speaker 3: so you know, there was a lovely super served last night.

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Speaker 3: You know, perfect way to relax theirs showers in there

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Speaker 3: as well. So it's a great opportunity for people to

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Speaker 3: use experience. And we had a lounge here thirty years ago,

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Speaker 3: so it's great to have a Pontius International Lounge back

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Speaker 3: at our Dawen Airport.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, I know the Minister mentioned this a

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Speaker 2: bit earlier. She said that, you know, there was plenty

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Speaker 2: of naysays when it comes to that London flight, but

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Speaker 2: it does seem though Darwin is really genuinely being looked

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Speaker 2: at at this point in time by Quantus and hopefully,

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Speaker 2: you know, when you consider how how much has happened

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Speaker 2: over the last eighteen months with COVID, hopefully it does

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Speaker 2: end up being a real opportunity for US long term.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, and certainly the CEO of Quintus yesterday, all Enjoyce,

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Speaker 3: recognized the NT and Quantus it's rich routes or roots

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Speaker 3: here in Darwin and Northern Territory their first flight leaving

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Speaker 3: here in nineteen thirty five. So he spoke very highly

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Speaker 3: of the cooperation with the government and the airports here

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Speaker 3: just to facilitate operations and get Australia going again.

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Speaker 2: Well, Darwin well, NTI Airports, I should say, Acting CEO

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Speaker 2: Tom Gandley.

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Speaker 1: Good to catch up with you. Thanks so much for

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Speaker 1: your time this morning.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, Katie, thank you.

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Speaker 1: We'll talk again soon.

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Speaker 2: Tom Ganley there, the acting CEO at the nt Airport