THE four-and-a-half-hour flight, which will be the only direct service between Australia and Tonga, will initially fly one weekly rotation on the route each Thursday, and will be operated using Qantas’ widebody A330 aircraft.
The carrier has maintained critical passenger and freight links with Tonga while international borders were closed during the pandemic, thanks to the Australian Government’s Pacific Flight Program.
Now, the non-stop service offers a new tropical destination for Australian travellers to explore.
The flights can be booked on the airline’s website as well as via GDS, and are priced from $866 return, with Frequent Flyer members able to earn points and status credits for the service.
“Since the opening of Australia’s border, we have seen strong demand across our Qantas operated South Pacific services,” a spokesperson for the carrier revealed, adding that Fiji is currently up 50% on pre-COVID demand, while Noumea is 13% higher and flights to Samoa are performing ahead of expectations.
Spurred by strong holiday travel demand, the carrier also recently committed to weekly non-stop services to Samoa.
“These flights will help Australian-based South Pacific islanders visit family and friends back home, as well as providing travel-hungry Australians a choice of Pacific neighbours to explore.”
“We anticipate the Tonga services will be well-supported by both Tongan nationals and Australians and are excited to strengthen family and community connections as well as boost tourism opportunities to this beautiful Pacific Island kingdom,” the spokesperson added.
