Northern Territory Airports Chief Executive, Ian Kew, has hinted at promoting Darwin as a midway stop over point for flights between China and New Zealand, thereby providing direct flights from Darwin to two of the largest under-served markets.
Territory airports courting new Asian airlines in Japan
Ashley Manicaros
NT News | 20 March 2017
TWO NT Airports staff are in Japan at an aviation speed dating conference hoping to hook up with airlines prepared to fly into the Territory.
“Routes Asia” is the only route development event serving the region. It attracts more than 900 aviation professionals, 200 airports and 100 airlines. During the three day Okinawa event there will be more than 2000 face-to-face meetings. Attendees are encouraged to fill out an online registration form and to keep it up to date. Northern Territory Airports chief executive Ian Kew, said it was part of the broader strategy of attracting more international airlines to the Territory and Chinese airlines are key targets.
“I’ve got a team up talking to the Routes Asia conference,” he said. “We’ve got meetings with all the Chinese carriers. We are doing that in consultation and hand-inhand with the Northern Territory Government so we are hopeful we can get a mainland Chinese service in the next couple of years or so.”
China Southern has been identified as a potential target. It already flies into Australia.
“There is over a million Chinese coming to Australia now and not many making it to the Territory,” Mr Kew said. “Virgin Australia, with their current shareholdings, are really refocusing their attention to China and Asia and we will continue to have conversations with them. You never know in the future there may be that Virgin is flying north from here (and) not just for the domestic market.”
The two Chinese shareholders — HNA Innovation, China’s largest private airline operator, and Nanshan Group, a privately owned Chinese conglomerate whose interests include Qingdao Airlines — each have nearly 20 per cent each. Virgin’s other major shareholders are Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airway, Virgin Group and Air New Zealand.
“Australia’s two biggest markets are Chinese and New Zealand tourists,” Mr Kew said. “But we don’t have direct services to either of those destinations at this time.
If we could wave a magic wand they are the two markets we would want to access immediately. We’ve got empty seats in the current international carriers so putting another international carrier on tomorrow is not going to be that helpful. “What we need to do is really drive demand by creating fantastic experiences — things for people to see and do in Darwin.”