Qantas launches Darwin-Singapore A220 flights

Qantas will fly its latest jet between Darwin and Singapore from March 2025, with the nimble Airbus A220 taking on the five-hour jaunt.

The Qantas Airbus A220, although it carries the brand of regional arm QantasLink.

It’s the first international route for the Qantas A220, which joined the red-tailed fleet in early 2024 and until now has been seen only on domestic routes – but it certainly won’t be the last, with 29 A220s on order and Qantas repeatedly citing the single-aisle jet’s extensive range from Australia into Asia.

Qantas has big hopes for the small A220 jet.

Qantas previously intended to start Darwin-Singapore flights in December 2024, using a leased Embraer E190 jet, but will now launch the A220 service on Sunday March 30, 2025, with five flights per week.

The A220, featuring 10 business class seats and 127 seats in economy, will liftoff as follows: 

• QF281 will depart Darwin at 3.55pm, arriving into Singapore at 7.15pm
• QF282 will leave Singapore at 10.25pm, landing back in Darwin at 4.45am

While those times will fit with the Singapore stopover of Qantas’ flagship QF1/QF2 superjumbo flights on the Kangaroo Route – which leaves Singapore for London around 11.30pm, and lands in Singapore from London at 5.30pm – they leave an indulgent 4-5 hours to spend in the Qantas lounge.

The Qantas A220 business class seat.

Executive Traveller review: Qantas A220 business, economy class

Of course, Top End travellers have always had the option of flying with Singapore Airlines to Singapore – which boasts lie-flat business class beds on SQ’s Boeing 737 MAX, along with seatback video screens which are absent from the E190 – and then choosing between a raft of flights to London and elsewhere in the UK, across Europe and for that matter to the rest of Asia and the Americas.

The Qantas A220 economy cabin has two seats on one side of the aisle and three on the other.

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace has previously noted the Singapore service will make for smoother connections “to popular destinations like Phuket and Kuala Lumpur with our partner airlines.”

The route is also about “strengthening the important trade, business and tourism links between Australia and Singapore,” Wallace added.

Business class passengers and eligible frequent flyers – including Qantas Club members – will have access to Darwin’s domestic Qantas Club lounge prior to clearing immigration and security, along with the Qantas International Business and First lounges at Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 1 before their return flight.

Qantas last operated direct flights between Darwin and Singapore in 2006.