Jetstar Asia Flights Between Singapore and Darwin Resume After 2 Year Hiatus

Jetstar flight. (Pexels)

Jetstar Asia will resume its flights between Singapore and Darwin after a two-year pause in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a  media release on Monday the Northern Territory state government, noted that the first scheduled flight to arrive in Darwin from Singapore will touch down at 4.45 a.m. on Tuesday morning, marking the beginning of the Territory’s international tourism recovery.

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Natasha Fyles said the resumption of services between Darwin and Singapore is vital for tourism, education, and trade.

“We welcome the return of Jetstar Asia flights into the Comeback Capital and look forward to seeing our friends in Singapore enjoy what the Territory has to offer,” she said.

“The Territory Government has worked with the Commonwealth to lead the safe repatriation of Australians throughout the pandemic and we are excited to see an international commercial flight route between Singapore and Darwin return.”

Jetstar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi also said the relaunch of flights between the two destinations was exciting.

“We know our customers can’t wait to travel again, so it is fantastic to once again offer two-way quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Australia’s stunning Northern Territory,” he said.

“Since the launch of our direct service to Darwin in 2008, we have flown more than 1.2 million visitors between the two cities and the Northern Territory remains a must-see destination, offering awe-inspiring natural landscapes less than five hours from Singapore. And in return, we can’t wait to welcome Australians back to the Lion City while also providing them access to Jetstar Asia’s Southeast Asian network.”

This comes as new border rules kicked in on Monday, whereby fully-vaccinated visitors to the Territory no longer have to undertake a two-week quarantine period upon arrival, but can travel immediately to any town or community that has a total vaccination rate of over 80 percent, which includes most key tourist destinations such as Uluru, Kings Canyon, and Kakadu.

There are currently 66 communities that are deemed “more vulnerable” because they have not yet reached an 80 percent full vaccination rate, and these locations will be off-limits to travellers for the first 14 days of their trip.

In addition, travellers to the Territory will still be required to get three PCR tests, the first a negative result within 72 hours prior to entering the Territory, the second a negative result within the first three days of the trip, and the third on day six.

Jetstar Asia flights between Singapore and Darwin will initially operate twice a week.