Rex is set to resume flights between Mildura and Adelaide from 4 January, in a boost to the JobKeeper-denied airport.
The airline will operate two return services per week on Mondays and Thursdays. The service from Adelaide to Mildura will depart Adelaide at 12:20pm and arrive in Mildura at 1:55pm, while the opposite leg will depart Mildura at 2:15pm and arrive in Adelaide at 2:50pm.
The new service follows Qantas also returning to the city, and will be a welcome boost given the airport was one of the most high-profile to be denied access to JobKeeper because it was deemed to be council-owned.
Qantas now operates four weekly direct flights between Mildura and Sydney, which are the only direct link, saving travellers around two hours by not having to switch.
Earlier this year, the chairman of Mildura Airport became Australia’s first airport boss to call for the JobKeeper scheme to be extended after it emerged the initiative was $60 billion under budget.
The JobKeeper package was introduced to provide coronavirus-affected business with an initial $1,500 per employee, per fortnight.
The companies are then legally obliged to pass that payment on to workers in a bid to keep the economy active during the pandemic.
However, many airport workers are locked out of the financial package because their firms are council-owned; while staff at dnata were similarly told they were no longer eligible because their company is owned by a foreign government.
James
says:How is “Qantas returning”?
Do they not have a Q400 base there to operate MEL?
Peter
says:Hey Adam
Might want to add that QantasLink are also launching Mildura – Adelaide flights.
This means Mildura will have direct Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney flights on QantasLink.
falaya
says:Thanks for sharing this its very helpful.