QantasLink is a full-service,

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

brand of Australian

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by that government for international operations. Histo ...

airline

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

. As of 2024, QantasLink provides over 2,000 flights each week to 65 metropolitan, regional and remote destinations across Australia, as well as short-haul international services to the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and East Timor. Flights are operated by the Qantas owned subsidiaries of Eastern Australia Airlines,

National Jet Systems National Jet Systems, formerly ''Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Airline Services'', is an Australian regional airline based at Adelaide Airport, operating regular scheduled services as part of the QantasLink brand.

, Network Aviation and Sunstate Airlines, with Embraer E190s wet-leased from Alliance Airlines. QantasLink is an affiliate member of the

Oneworld Oneworld (Computer reservations system, CRS: *O, stylised as oneworld) is a global airline alliance consisting of 14 member airlines. It was founded on 1 February 1999. The alliance's stated objective is to be the first choice airline alliance f ...

airline alliance An airline alliance is an aviation industry arrangement between two or more airlines agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level. Alliances may provide marketing branding to facilitate travelers making inter-airline codeshare agreement, codeshare ...

History

QantasLink's origins as a single brand for Qantas' regional airline subsidiaries go back to October 1993, when Qantas acquired Australian Airlink Pty Ltd and its fleet from parent company

, which up to that point had been operating flights on major regional routes for Australian Airlines. The Australian Airlink name remained and the fleet was repainted in Qantas livery, and National Jet Systems was subsequently contracted by Qantas to operate Australian Airlink aircraft. Prior to 2002, Qantas' various subsidiaries operated under their own names, eventually adopting the Australian Airlines, and later, Qantas liveries. In 2002, a common brand was created, encompassing AirLink (a franchise, operated by National Jet Systems), Sunstate Airlines, Eastern Australia Airlines, and Southern Australia Airlines; Southern Australia has since ceased operations. For a short while, QantasLink took over some of Qantas' non-trunk routes, such as Sydney – Sunshine Coast, using

Boeing 717 The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Twinjet, twin-engine airliner was developed for the 100-seat market and originally marketed by McDonnell Dougla ...

s that were inherited after Qantas acquired Impulse Airlines. QantasLink ceased operating some of these routes after Qantas formed low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways, transferring the Boeing 717 aircraft and routes to the new airline. From 2005 to 2006, eight of the 717s were returned to QantasLink following Jetstar's acquisition of

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first membe ...

aircraft, with the 717s to be operated in Western Australia, Northern Territory and far north Queensland by

. On 31 July 2015, Network Aviation was rebranded to QantasLink. This was announced by Qantas with the unveiling of a Fokker 100 in QantasLink colours. On 20 May 2020, Qantas announced the purchase of Cobham Australia's

subsidiary which had operated the Boeing 717-200 on behalf of QantasLink for 15 years, bringing both employees and the fleet in-house. In August 2020, National Jet systems closed the Perth and Cairns bases of their operations, with Western Australian operations to be taken over by Network Aviation. On 4 February 2021, Qantas announced an initial 3 year deal with Alliance Airlines that they will be leasing 3 Embraer E190 aircraft with the option for up to 14 aircraft to operate on routes like Adelaide–Alice Springs, Darwin–Alice Springs, and Darwin–Adelaide. Qantas has steadily expanded upon its lease agreement and use of the aircraft, with the company currently agreed to operate 26 aircraft by April 2024, with 4 options remaining.

Fleet

Current fleet

QantasLink flights, except those flown by the Embraer E190s, are operated by the individual airlines that make up the group – Eastern Australia Airlines, National Jet Systems, Network Aviation and Sunstate Airlines. All flights use QF

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

codes. Turboprop aircraft operate under the

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

callsign QLK ("Q-LINK"). Until 5 January 2009, Eastern and Sunstate operated under their own callsigns. Network Aviation aircraft operate under their own callsign NWK ("NETLINK"). , QantasLink operates the following aircraft:

Fleet development

Throughout the mid 2000s, QantasLink increased capacity by replacing many of its smaller Dash 8-100 and Q200 aircraft with Q400s. QantasLink continued to acquire the Q400 despite landing gear problems experienced by other airlines during this period. This problem also saw a grounding of five Q400s during August 2010, though all were deemed safe and returned to service. From 2005, QantasLink 717 services in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania were contracted to National Jet Systems, using the QantasLink brand. The hubs for QantasLink under the contract are in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, and

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

. In December 2005, as part of its further expansion, QantasLink entered the South Australian market with flights from

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. Known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngarla people, it is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, ...

and

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...

. Interstate flights were also introduced between Kangaroo Island and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Due to low passenger loads, services to Kangaroo Island ceased operation at the end of June 2006. On 1 August 2006, Qantas replaced its daily Melbourne- Launceston mainline service with a three times daily QantasLink Dash 8 service. This has now been increased to a four times daily service, supplemented in peak service periods by QantasLink 717 services. In May 2008, QantasLink announced that it would order nine mid-life 717s. In mid August 2008, it was announced that Tamworth would be the first New South Wales regional airport to be serviced by the Q400. On 8 December 2009, QantasLink announced that it would re-enter the Adelaide to Port Lincoln market from February 2010, using Q400 aircraft flying 23 return services a week. On 29 March 2010, QantasLink and the Qantas Group announced that it would start the first international QantasLink route, from Cairns to

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, utilising Q400 aircraft already based in Cairns. The service commenced in July 2010. A QantasLink spokesperson stated that "the airline would not turn into a fully fledged international airline, but could operate international routes in the future". In November 2014, QantasLink became the first airline to fly to the newly opened Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, establishing direct Q400 services to Sydney. In February 2016 as a result of strong demand, QantasLink increased weekly services by two flights to fifteen weekly returns. On 18 December 2014, QantasLink announced that it would add Whyalla, South Australia, to its network, with double daily flights to commence on 13 April 2015. The route is serviced by the 50-seat Q300. In July 2016, Alliance Airlines delivered the first of three additional Fokker 100s, with two more delivered by the end of the year. In December 2017, QantasLink announced a resumption of flights from both Melbourne and Adelaide to Kangaroo Island after a 11 year hiatus. In January 2018, Network Aviation confirmed it would transfer two Airbus A320s from Jetstar Airways for flights to and from Perth as part of the QantasLink brand. Network Aviation has steadily increased its use of ex-Jetstar Airbus A320s with a current fleet of 15. In December 2021, Qantas announced an initial order for 20 Airbus A220-300 with additional purchase options to replace its Boeing 717. On the 29th of June, Qantas announced it was exercising 9 purchase right options for the A220-300 aircraft, taking the total number of A220-300s on firm order to 29, which will begin arriving from late 2023 to 2027. In February 2023, Qantas announced an order for 5 mid-life Airbus A319s aircraft to increase short term capacity and support the growth of the resource sector in Western Australia for delivery from 2024. Qantas announced in February 2024, following a strong performance in the resources sector that 4 additional A319 aircraft had been purchased, bringing the total to 9. On 25 June 2024, Qantas announced an order for 14 mid-life Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft to begin phasing out the Q200 and Q300 aircraft. The first Q400 is expected to arrive into the QantasLink fleet from the end of 2024, bringing the Q400 fleet to 45, with a single aircraft type providing increased reliability and reducing complexity and cost for the group. Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group CEO, added how the new mid-life aircraft will "provide certainty to the regions over the next decade while we work with aircraft manufacturers and other suppliers on electric or battery powered aircraft that are the right size and range for our network.” The fleet renewal will also cause all aircraft to be retired from the Eastern Australia Airlines fleet and the company will cease to operate as an airline. In October 2024, QantasLink planned the last commercial flight for the Boeing 717 on the 26th of October from Sydney to Canberra as QF1511, with the flight met with a fan-fair for both customers, media and crew after 20 years of the aircraft operating for the Qantas Group in Australia. However due to a shortage of aircraft around the network, the last 717, VH-YQW, got an unexpected re-activation. The aircraft flew between Perth and Paraburdoo from the 6th to the 26th of November, Sydney to Hobart on select days until the 11th of December and lastly Melbourne and Canberra on select days until the 29th of December. The aircraft was retired on the 30th December 2024, being ferried from Canberra to Brisbane. The aircraft was donated to the Qantas Group Engineering Academy to be used as a training aid. On 28 October 2024, QantasLink and Skytrans announced a partnership for the operation of Lord Howe Island flights. This would see QantasLink's three De Haviland Canada Dash 8-200 acquired by Skytrans for them to carry out these operations until March 2030. These flights will be code-shared by Qantas, with the flights to operate out of Qantas Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport. On 16 May 2025, QantasLink operated its last flight with the Q200, it flew between Lord Howe Island and Sydney as QF2265. All of the Q200 aircraft are now registered with Skytrans, however the Qantas flight number will continue to be used on the Lord Howe Island route until the end of the route license transition period on 25 February 2026. QF 717 mill stream-1

Former fleet

QantasLink previously operated the following types: *

* BAe 146-100 * BAe 146-200 * BAe 146-300 * De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 * De Havilland Canada Dash 8-200 * Short 360

Destinations

;QantasLink destinations served by Alliance Airlines *Australia **Australian Capital Territory ***

– Canberra Airport **New South Wales *** Albury –

Albury Airport Albury Airport is a regional airport located northeast of Albury, Australia. The airport, which also serves Albury's adjacent twin city of Wodonga. It hosts the official weather station for Albury-Wodonga. History Although the site had been ...

*** Newcastle – Newcastle Airport ***

–

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport — colloquially Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney Airport or Mascot Airport — is an international airport serving Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district, in the subu ...

**Northern Territory ***

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

– Alice Springs Airport *** Darwin – Darwin International Airport Hub *** Nhulunbuy – Gove Airport (charter) *** Yulara – Ayres Rock Airport **Queensland ***

– Brisbane Airport Hub ***

– Cairns Airport ***

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...

– Emerald Airport *** Gladstone – Gladstone Airport *** Hamilton Island – Hamilton Island Airport (ends 25 October 2025 with flights to be operated by National Jet Systems) *** Mackay – Mackay Airport *** Mount Isa – Mount Isa Airport *** Proserpine – Whitsunday Coast Airport (ends 24 October 2025) ***

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

– Rockhampton Airport ***

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

– Townsville Airport **South Australia ***

– Adelaide Airport Hub **Tasmania ***

– Hobart Airport *** Launceston – Launceston Airport (seasonal) **Victoria ***

–

Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , known locally as Tullamarine Airport, is an international airport serving Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operating 24/7 service, 24 hours a day with on-site parking, shopping and dining, Melbourne Airport is the List of th ...

*East Timor **

Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...

–

Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport Dili Airport , officially Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport (, ), and formerly Comoro Airport (), is an international airport serving Dili, the capital city of Timor-Leste. Since 2002, the airport has been named after Nicolau dos ...

*New Caledonia **

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...

– La Tontouta International Airport *Solomon Islands **

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...

–

Honiara International Airport : Honiara International Airport , formerly known as Henderson Field, is an airport in the province of Guadalcanal in the nation of Solomon Islands. It is the primary international airport in the country, the second being Munda Airport in Wester ...

;QantasLink destinations served by Eastern Australia Airlines *Australian Capital Territory **

– Canberra Airport *New South Wales ** Albury –

Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...

– Broken Hill AirportBroken Hill bound flying kangaroo to launch new flights to iconic Aussie outback town
qantasnewsroom.com.au **

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

– Lord Howe Island Airport (ends 25 February 2026)Lord Howe Island Flights
qantasnewsroom.com.au ** Merimbula – Merimbula Airport ** Moree – Moree Airport ** Orange – Orange Airport **

–

Hub **

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

– Wagga Wagga Airport *South Australia **

– Adelaide Airport Hub ** Kingscote – Kingscote Airport **

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with a population of 25,591 as of the 2021 census. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier (volcano), Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about ...

– Mount Gambier Airport **

– Port Lincoln Airport ** Whyalla – Whyalla Airport *Tasmania **

Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...

– Burnie Airport ** Devonport – Devonport Airport ** Launceston – Launceston Airport *Victoria **

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...

– Bendigo Airport **

–

Hub ** Mildura – Mildura Airport ;QantasLink destinations served by Sunstate Airlines *Australian Capital Territory **

– Canberra Airport *New South Wales ** Albury –

** Armidale – Armidale Airport ** Ballina – Ballina Byron Gateway Airport **

– Broken Hill Airport **

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...

– Coffs Harbour Airport ** Cooma – Cooma–Snowy Mountains Airport (seasonal) ** Dubbo – Dubbo City Airport ** Griffith – Griffith Airport ** Merimbula – Merimbula Airport ** Moree – Moree Airport ** Newcastle – Newcastle Airport ** Orange – Orange Airport ** Port Macquarie – Port Macquarie Airport **

–

Hub ** Tamworth – Tamworth Airport **

– Wagga Wagga Airport *Queensland ** Barcaldine – Barcaldine Airport ** Blackall – Blackall Airport **

– Brisbane Airport Hub **

Bundaberg Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...

– Bundaberg Airport **

– Cairns Airport Hub ** Cloncurry – Cloncurry Airport **

– Emerald Airport ** Gladstone – Gladstone Airport ** Hervey Bay – Hervey Bay Airport ** Horn Island – Horn Island Airport ** Longreach – Longreach Airport ** Mackay – Mackay Airport ** Miles – Miles Airport ** Moranbah – Moranbah Airport ** Mount Isa – Mount Isa Airport **

– Rockhampton Airport **

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

– Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport **

– Townsville Airport ** Weipa – Weipa Airport *South Australia **

– Adelaide Airport Hub ** Kingscote – Kingscote Airport **

– Mount Gambier Airport **

– Port Lincoln Airport ** Whyalla – Whyalla Airport *Tasmania **

– Burnie Airport ** Devonport – Devonport Airport ** Launceston – Launceston Airport *Victoria **

– Bendigo Airport **

–

Hub ** Mildura – Mildura Airport ;QantasLink destinations served by National Jet Systems *Australia **Australian Capital Territory ***

– Canberra Airport Hub **New South Wales ***

– Coffs Harbour Airport ***

–

**Northern Territory *** Darwin – Darwin International Airport (begins 26 October 2025) **Queensland ***

– Brisbane Airport *** Hamilton Island - Hamilton Island Airport (begins 26 October 2025) **Victoria ***

–

Hub **Tasmania ***

– Hobart Airport Hub *** Launceston – Launceston Airport * Singapore **

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

- Singapore Airport (begins 26 October 2025) ;QantasLink destinations served by Network Aviation *New South Wales ** Newcastle - Newcastle Airport (begins 8 September 2025) *Northern Territory ** Darwin – Darwin International Airport *Tasmania **

- Hobart Airport (begins 26 September 2025) *Western Australia ** Broome – Broome International Airport **

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...

- Busselton Margaret River Airport (begins 27 June 2025) **

Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...

– Learmonth Airport **

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

– Geraldton Airport ** Kalgoorlie – Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport ** Karratha – Karratha Airport ** Newman – Newman Airport ** Onslow – Onslow Airport ** Paraburdoo – Paraburdoo Airport **

–

Perth Airport Perth Airport is an international airport, international, domestic airport, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, Western Australia. It is the List of the busiest airports in Australia, fourth busiest airport in Australia meas ...

Hub ** Port Hedland – Port Hedland International Airport

Incidents and accidents

* On 29 May 2003, Qantas Flight 1737, a domestic flight from Melbourne to Launceston operated by a QantasLink

registered VH-NXN, was subject to an attempted hijacking.

Notes

1. QantasLink flights operated by National Jet Systems use the call-sign "Q-JET", with the ICAO code QJE. All flights continue to operate under the IATA code QF.

References

External links

QantasLink Official Info
{{Airlines of Australia Link Regional airline brands Oneworld affiliate members Airlines established in 2002 Australian companies established in 2002 Companies based in Sydney