First direct air service between NZ and Aussie capitals tipped

Tuesday 12th January 2016

Airlines and airports won't discuss it, but industry sources say that bureaucrats and politicians will soon have access for the first time to a direct flight between Wellington and Canberra.

The new service, which would be an adjunct to the first direct service between Singapore and the Australian capital city, was reported in a gossipy item in the Australian Financial Review this morning.

The report suggests Singapore International Airlines will announce the new route in coming days and will take the opportunity to keep its wide-bodied Airbus A330 jet busy during its turnaround time by flying the first direct service ever to be offered between Wellington and Canberra.

Wellington International Airport is seeking to extend the New Zealand capital city's runway to allow long haul flights using new era wide-bodied jets, such as the A330, to destinations in Asia and the United States, although this wouldn't be the first time Wellington has hosted trans-Tasman service using wide-bodied aircraft.

Such planes can make the trans-Tasman run using the current, shorter runway because they carry less fuel than for long haul flights.

AFR noted the new Singapore Airlines service would finally make true the "international" part of Canberra International Airport's name, having not previously been able to attract direct international flights, unlike Wellington, which already hosts flights to a range of international short haul destinations in Australia and the Pacific.

Singapore Airlines' local public relations agency supplied a statement declining comment on the AFR story, although BusinessDesk inquiries have confirmed the service is more than twinkle in an Australian journalist's eye.

“We are continuously evaluating new route opportunities to provide additional travel options to our customers and to support the further development of the Singapore hub," the statement said. "However, beyond our recent announcement that we will be introducing Singapore-Dusseldorf services in 2016, we have no new route plans to announce at this stage.”

The AFR reported suggested that "calling it Canberra International Airport always seemed a little ambitious" in light of the absence of international flights to date.

"Even Adelaide has direct flights to New Zealand and Asia (popular with fugitives carrying duffle bags full of Centrelink money)," it said. "But ... there's not a single scheduled flight, in or out, where you you need your passport. Until now. We understand Singapore Airlines chief executive Goh Choon Phong will descend on our national capital next week to announce the commencement of four weekly flights between Singapore and Canberra.

"And thanks to tricky aircraft utilisation, the airline will use the same Airbus A330 to operate an onward Canberra-Wellington return service."

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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