Qantas has started direct flights from Newcastle to Melbourne for the first time in more than a decade.
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The first QantasLink service to Melbourne took off at 7am on Monday from Williamtown, one of 12 weekly flights to the Victorian capital.
The 90-minute flights leave Williamtown at 7am and 4.50pm every weekday. Return flights leave Melbourne every weekday at 7.05am and 7.10pm.
On weekends, flights leave Newcastle for Melbourne at 7am on Saturdays and return on Sunday evenings.
The new service lifts the number of commercial flights in and out of Newcastle to 256 a week, the first time traffic has topped 250 since the start of COVID-19 restrictions a year ago.
QantasLink is the national carrier's regional service aimed largely at the business market.
Jetstar, another Qantas subsidiary, no longer flies directly from Newcastle to Melbourne in the mornings. Virgin flies directly to Melbourne in the early afternoon.
Newcastle Airport chief executive officer Dr Peter Cock said the Qantaslink service would offer the region's corporate and leisure travellers more flexibility and choice.
"With Qantas flying to Melbourne at the start and end of the day, we are able to provide a schedule that will suit just about everybody," he said.
"The afternoon flights will suit mums and dads, whilst business passengers will have the ability to do a day's work in Melbourne and be home in time for dinner."
Dr Cock said the new services, which use Boeing 717s, would coordinate better with connecting flights in the Qantas network.
"If you are heading to Perth or Adelaide, these Melbourne flights are perfect, with less than an hour stopover and the advantage of checking your bags through to your final destination.
"That means lots of time saved in getting to where you're going.
"Our region loves to fly. This is coming through clearly in research and forecasts where we are outperforming others across the country, so it's great to see an airline such as Qantas recognise us in this way."
QantasLink chief executive John Gissing said the new flights would help boost Hunter businesses.
"These new services will provide more options for Victorians to access the beautiful coastal city of Newcastle as well as the world-class wineries of the Hunter Valley," he said.
"We expect this service will also be popular with our corporate travellers.
"Flights are available at peak times in both directions and customers will enjoy the benefits of our premium service, including complimentary food and drinks, baggage and lounge access before they fly out."
The QantasLink flights this week cost $160 one way, compared with Jetstar's $120 and Virgin's $109 afternoon flights.