Qantas to add Melbourne to Darwin link

From May 2011, Australian national carrier Qantas will begin non-stop flights between Melbourne and Darwin to be operated thrice-weekly with B737-800 equipment. Qantas will compete on the route with Jetstar Airways which operates ten-weekly flights, Tiger Airways which operates four-weekly flights and Virgin Blue which operates a daily rotation. IATA BSP data shows that over 267,000 O+D passengers have flown the route between July 2009 and July 2010 which Jetstar Airways having a 48% share of the market.