Gary Shipway
NT News | 9 November 2017
CHINA’S Donghai Airlines has been in Darwin this week continuing talks with the Northern Territory Government about direct flights from Darwin to Shenzhen.
Tourism Minister Lauren Moss would not confirm Donghai’s presence in Darwin but a government source told the NT News the minister had a dinner meeting with airline executives on Monday night.
Donghai Airlines launched its first international route in September from its home-base Shenzhen with a service to Thailand’s U-tapao airport. It is now eyeing Darwin.
The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration announced in July that Donghai Airlines had applied for approval to fly direct to Darwin. The government source said this approval had been granted and the airline had now applied to Australia’s Civil Aviation Authority for the necessary approvals to allow it to fly to Darwin.
Asked about the Donghai Airlines Darwin visit, Tourism Minister Moss’ office said the Government wasn’t in a position to release details of ongoing negotiations with any Chinese airlines. “We don’t want to jeopardise these discussions in any way,” a spokesman for the office said.
“The Territory Labor Government is investing $5 million over two years to attract more visitors from China and India. This includes helping local businesses get China-ready. We have rolled out the welcome mat for delegations from a number of Chinese airlines who have come to better understand what the Top End and the NT have to offer – these delegations have been a great success and discussions about direct flights are progressing very well.”
Ms Moss met with the airline in China earlier in the year. A total of 15,000 Chinese tourists visited the Territory last year and the Minister has set a target of 30,000 Chinese visitors a year by 2020. A spokesman for CASA said approval applications by international airlines are treated as commercially confidential information.
“However the airline would need to apply to CASA for a Foreign Air Operators Safety Certificate that ensures that it meets international safety standards,” the spokesman said. “This could take several months and the airline also needs to get a few other approvals like airspace and landing rights.”
China Southern, which recently began direct flights into Cairns, has also held talks with the Territory Government about flights to Darwin.
Donghai Airlines was a marginal player in China until 2015 when expansion plans were announced, including plans to introduce international services.
Since then it has established a strong domestic network in China serving major cities. Today it has a fleet of 17 Boeing 737-800s and has orders for five Boeing Dreamliners.