Kangaroo to stop in Darwin, not Perth
Starting today in a month, on 14 November 2021, Qantas Airways will operate its flagship direct route to London via Darwin when Australia's border reopens. The airline has agreed with regional authorities to reroute its flights from Sydney and Melbourne (from 18 December) through Darwin until at least April 2022, when London flights are scheduled to operate via Perth again.
Darwin was the jump off point from Australia for the launch of the national carrier’s first international flight in 1935 from Brisbane to Singapore, and part of the original 1947 Kangaroo Route Sydney-London. 2021 marks the first time Qantas has operated flights into Darwin from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America (see tomorrow's ITJ 43-44/2021), making it the first Australian airport to have received nonstop flights from all inhabited continents. (ah)