Australia’s Rex sets Hobart flights; Air Vanuatu relaunching flights to Espiritu Santo

Australian regional carrier Rex announced that daily flights between Melbourne and Hobart will begin on 17 August. Rex already operates regular flights to the North West Tasmanian cities of Burnie and Devonport while also flying to King Island. The airline’s deputy chairman, John Sharp, unveiled details of the new route in Hobart where he was joined by the Tasmanian Premier and Minister for Tourism, Jeremy Rockliff, the CEO of Hobart Airport, Norris Carter and Sarah Clark, CEO of Tourism Tasmania. Hobart is the second new destination Rex has announced in recent days, as it added two more Boeing 737s to its fleet. Last week the airline said it would begin direct Adelaide-Sydney flights on 29 June. The flight schedule will be perfect for holiday-makers with the flights from Melbourne departing at 12.15 pm and arriving in Hobart at 1.30 pm. The return Hobart-Melbourne service will take off at 2.15 pm and touch down in Melbourne 75 minutes later. This schedule will provide good connections for flights to and from Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. “Hobart is one of the world’s greatest tourist destinations which we are delighted to add to our network,” Sharp said. “Our long-standing commitment to Tasmania spans more than 40 years through our regional airline services. For too long, Hobart has had to endure sky-high airfares because of capacity constraints and price gouging by our competitors. Our new service will provide passengers with affordable fares delivered with Rex’s trademark country hospitality and reliability.” Air Vanuatu relaunching flights to Espiritu Santo The Prime Minister of Vanuatu has relaunched the world’s only international flights to the island paradise of Espiritu Santo. Santo is Vanuatu’s largest island, and one of its most popular holiday destinations. The Air Vanuatu once-weekly service sees an increase in passenger and freight capacity between Australia and Vanuatu and cuts travel time to Espiritu Santo by two and a half hours for Australians, who previously connected through Port Vila. Prime Minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalasakau said “These locations have only seen a handful of visitors each year. They yearn for the Australian visitor to take advantage of the beauty that is on display when you come to our country. Of course, tourism is a vital pillar in our economy, providing employment and small business opportunities and also generating revenue for our communities. We humbly urge you to come and explore Santo.” “With Brisbane the only international airport with flights to Santo, BNE will be the world’s gateway for tourists on their way to this South Pacific Paradise,” according to Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff.  “Brisbane is the most connected Australia port to the Southwest Pacific with direct flights to 13 destinations. We look forward to Queenslanders discovering this little slice of international paradise which is less than three hours flying time away.” Air Vanuatu operates non-stop services between Brisbane and Espiritu Santo every Thursday at 10.30am, with return fares starting at $590 per adult. The return flight departs Santo at 3.20pm and arrives in Brisbane at 5.10pm. Services are operated by Solomon Airlines on behalf of Air Vanuatu.  For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]