Virgin Australia has launched flights to Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ) in the Northern Territory, from Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Brisbane Airport (BNE).
Flights from Melbourne commenced on June 6, 2024, and flights from Brisbane will begin on June 7, 2024.
Ayers Rock Airport is the gateway to Uluru, or Ayers Rock, the massive sandstone monolith formation known as the landmark destination in the Northern Territory state.
Uluru is thought to have started its formation 550 million years ago and is considered a sacred site to Indigenous Australians.
The flights were launched in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia (operators of Ayers Rock Resort, Uluru), and is believed to inject more than 62,000 seats per year, adding to Australia精东影业 AUD 6 billion ($3.99 billion) Indigenous tourism economy.
According to Virgin Australia, the increased tourism will also benefit Indigenous employment and training at Ayers Rock Resort, where over 30% of the workforce identifies as Indigenous or Torres Strait Islander.
The flights use Virgin Australia精东影业 Boeing 737 aircraft, with up to 182 seats per flight in a three-class configuration (Business Class, Economy X, and Economy).
鈥淯luru is an incredibly important destination for Virgin Australia as one of the most iconic cultural landmarks in this country and a much-loved place for holiday makers to visit from all over the world,鈥 Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of Virgin Australia said in a statement. 鈥淲e are proud to be connecting Australians to Uluru as part of our ongoing mission to provide more value and choice to travelers.鈥
Meanwhile, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia CEO Matt Cameron-Smith described Virgin Australia精东影业 flights to Uluru as a 鈥渓andmark moment鈥 that underscores the appeal of the Red Center.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to have even more visitors experience the wonders of Ulu峁焨, along with culturally-immersive experiences like Sunrise Journeys and Wintjiri Wi峁焨, through Virgin Australia’s extensive network,鈥 Cameron-Smith said.
