Qantas Airways enters capacity agreement with Alliance Airlines

Qantas Airways entered (04-Feb-2021) an agreement with Alliance Airlines, to assist Qantas Group meeting an expected surge in local tourism demand once it moves beyond coronavirus related closures. Alliance will provide the QantasLink network with flexible capacity using recently acquired Embraer E190 aircraft. Initial destinations are expected to include Adelaide-Alice Springs, Darwin-Alice Springs and Darwin-Adelaide. Route frequencies may increase, with higher capacity Boeing 737s to be redeployed elsewhere in Australia as part of Qantas' ongoing 'right aircraft, right route' approach to its network. Qantas signed a three year deal with Alliance to access three E190s based in Darwin and Adelaide, with timing dependent on the rate of recovery in travel demand but is currently expected to start in Jun-2021, once the vast majority of the Qantas Domestic flying has returned to pre-coronavirus levels. The agreement provides flexibility to access an additional 11 E190 regional jets but also to switch off some, or all, of this capacity, depending on market conditions. QantasLink CEO John Gissing said: "By the time we switch on this extra capacity with Alliance, we expect all of our own domestic crews will have already returned to flying", with Alliance Airlines "keen to provide the opportunity for our international pilots and cabin crew to operate the E190s given it will be some time before overseas markets fully recover". [more - original PR]