Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific in talks to launch direct flights between Tasmania and Asia

SINGAPORE: Tasmania’s government is in talks with Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Cathay Pacific to establish direct flights between the Australian state and Asia. 

“With the upgrades at Hobart Airport, we are working to lock in direct flight routes between Hobart and Asia,” said Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff in a Facebook post on Monday (Nov 18). 

“We’re currently in talks with both (SIA) and Cathay Pacific to make that dream a reality, and establish direct routes to some very exciting locations in Asia.”

SIA currently flies to seven Australian cities – Brisbane, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin and Adelaide. Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific flies to the first five destinations.

To reach Tasmania, visitors travelling from Singapore need to take a domestic flight after arriving in Australia. Alternatively, they can take a ferry from mainland Australia to the island state. 

In response to CNA's queries, SIA said it "regularly reviews" its network and destinations. The airline did not say if a decision had been reached about flying directly to Tasmania from Singapore.

"Should there be any new additions to our network, we will announce them publicly at the appropriate time," it added. 

CNA also contacted Cathay Pacific for more information.

New international air services would boost both tourism and freight offerings into major Asian markets, said Mr Rockliff, as reported by local news site Pulse Tasmania. 

“These are two world-leading air carriers and we’d love to see them flying direct to Hobart,” he said.

According to Tasmania’s tourism authority, Singapore and Hong Kong are "peak value" markets for the state as visitors from these locations tend to spend more during their stay.

Singapore was the fifth-highest spending leisure market for the state in December 2019, with 15,300 visitors arriving from the country.