The State Government and Perth Airport has congratulated Virgin Australia as it turns its attention to introducing new routes between Western Australia and Tasmania with the launch of a non-stop service between Perth and Launceston which commenced Nov. 5.
Western Australian Government Tourism Minister David Templeman said he was excited to welcome the new Virgin Australia Perth- Launceston service.
"The launch of this route provides another link for Tasmanians to explore our beautiful State and our unique tourism offering, right in time for the start of the festive season," he said.
"The Perth - Launceston service makes our pristine coastline, magnificent forests and world-class tourism experiences more accessible for those living in the north of the island State, and we are delighted to welcome visitors from this area."
Tourism WA has also provided passengers on the inaugural flight a $165 ADAMS/Australian Pinnacle Tours voucher so they can explore and experience Western Australia.
Perth Airport Chief Executive Officer Kevin Brown said the new route is another example of Virgin Australia’s long-term commitment to Western Australia.
“It is great to see our airline partners looking to the future with the view of introducing and expanding their networks to increase Western Australia’s connectivity and we look forward to adding more interstate destinations when it is safe to do so.
“Travel between Tasmania and Western Australia is open to passengers without any COVID-19 restrictions, so we are expecting travel between the two capital cities to be popular during the season. We will be working with our tourism partners and Virgin Australia to ensure these links between Western Australia and Tasmania become strong as we recover from the pandemic.
“It has been a tough year and as vaccination rates rise and Australia begins to open up, the introduction of new and expanded routes will provide a great opportunity for people to travel to a domestic destination that they have never experienced before.
“Passengers can also be assured that our airport has robust COVID-safe processes which has been reviewed by the Airport Council International and received an “Airport Health Accreditation” rating. The Accreditation process examines a wide range of airport practices covering critical areas such as cleaning and disinfection, passenger flows, security screening, physical distancing and emergency processes,” said Brown.
Virgin Australia Group Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Alistair Hartley said Virgin Australia has been working to add new routes to connect Australians and expand its network of services.
"We’re proud to be operating the first direct services between Perth and Launceston in almost 100 years. Similarly, this is the first time that Virgin Australia has ever operated the service, which is welcome news for our customers," said Hartley.
"Starting today our Perth-Launceston services will operate three times each week, before ramping up to a daily flight over the busy holiday period.
"The services will allow for thousands of people to connect with their loved ones this Christmas, as well as enable many of our team members to return to the skies.
"Virgin Australia is continuing to offer free booking flexibility until 30 April 2022, which means we’re giving our customers the confidence to book their next holiday now, knowing they can change the date of travel if they need to.
The seasonal service will operate over the peak-summer season from today until 30 January 2022, departing on Monday, Friday and Sunday each week on Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Flights will depart Perth-Launceston at 2.00pm, arriving
