Qantas will reduce frequencies on several poor performing Northern Territory routes and axe flights altogether between Ayers Rock and Perth.
The carrier will halve its weekly services between Ayers Rock and Cairns to seven from September 1 and reduce services between Ayers Rock and Perth from four to two per week from the same date. The latter route will be dropped from October 28.
Jetstar will also cull operations, with Darwin to Sydney services falling from up to 11 per week to seven and from Darwin to Bali from up to 11 weekly flights to eight.
“We regret any impact these changes may have, however, despite various strategies these routes remain poor performers,” Qantas domestic chief executive Lyell Strambi said.
“The impact of the high Australian dollar on the inbound tourism market has also had a significant impact on the performance of these services.”
Jetstar Group chief commercial officer David Koczkar admitted its routes from Darwin have been among its most marginal and service reductions were unavoidable.
“Our continuing ability to offer low fares to the broader market depends on our need to balance market demands with operational costs,” he said.
One of Jetstar’s A320s will be relocated from Darwin to the east coast on the back of the changes.
