Brisbane Airport adds flights to new ‘bucket-list’ destination

1 week ago 5

Brisbane Airport is acceptable to adhd different planetary destination to its inventory, with flights to the tiny northbound Pacific federation of Palau to statesman this month.

Nauru Airlines volition run the six-hour flights betwixt Brisbane and Palau, internationally regarded arsenic 1 of the world’s premier diving destinations, from May 21.

Penny Wong and Palau’s President Surangel Whipps jnr successful 2022. Australia and Palau person announced a caller non-stop formation service.

Palau President Surangel Whipps jnr said the “Palau Paradise Express” formation would beryllium a captious nexus for the tiny federation of conscionable 18,000 people, astir 2250 kilometres northbound of Darwin.

It had been facilitated done the national government’s $100 cardinal Australia-Pacific Partnerships for Aviation Program, commonly referred to arsenic P4A, which Whipps jnr said had opened a “new level of co-operation” betwixt the 2 nations.

“Our combined efforts up to this constituent person laid the groundwork to realise caller opportunities,” helium said.

“This adjacent signifier with Nauru Airlines connects america to different nations wrong the South Pacific and Micronesia. We admit the accidental to enactment with our Pacific household to find ways to guarantee we prosper together.”

Palau is regarded arsenic 1 of the world’s large diving destinations.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, done P4A, Australia was partnering with Pacific nations for a “safer, much resilient and sustainable aviation sector”.

“Australia has heard the calls from Pacific leaders for deeper connections and easier question astir the region, and is moving to amended access, mobility and migration opportunities,” she said.

Last month, Wong announced a caller Pacific Engagement Visa, which would let 3000 citizens of Pacific nations, on with Timor-Leste, to migrate arsenic imperishable residents each year. That programme would beryllium unfastened to Palauans.

Brisbane Airport main enforcement Gert-Jan de Graaff said the caller work showed Brisbane was Australia’s “premier gateway to the Pacific”, with 14 destinations successful the region.

“[The caller service] besides invites adventurers to embark connected a seamless travel to 1 of the region’s astir inviting destinations,” helium said.

“It’s present a precise casual spot to adhd to your bucket list.”

Flights volition depart Tuesdays astatine 11.30pm and instrumentality Thursdays astatine 5.30am connected a Boeing 737. Nauru Airlines volition run the formation until October 31, astatine which constituent eligible Australian, Pacific and Asian airlines would beryllium invited to enactment successful a constricted tender to run the way done to October 2025.

There person been calls for a formation curfew to beryllium introduced astatine Brisbane Airport to woody with accrued sound since the parallel runway opened successful 2020, with the Greens pushing for flights to halt astatine 11pm. Such a curfew would not let for the caller Palau flights.

An Aircraft Noise Ombudsman submission to a Senate enquiry into craft sound noted a curfew had been successful cognition astatine Sydney Airport for years.

“These measures importantly ameliorate the impacts of craft noise,” the Ombudsman said.

In Brisbane City Council’s submission to the aforesaid inquiry, lawman politician Krista Adams said craft sound was a “complex issue”.

“I callback the erstwhile subordinate for the national spot of Griffith, Kevin Rudd, made this contented a regular portion of his re-election campaigns, yet was incapable to resoluteness it, adjacent arsenic premier minister,” she said.

“It’s of large interest that this substance has been highly politicised erstwhile again, peculiarly by the Greens, successful the lead-up to the national predetermination and I impulse the committee to cautiously see and person respect to this successful their deliberations astir the aboriginal of the Brisbane Airport.”