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Katie spoke with Darwin Airport Acting CEO Tom Ganley about the first Darwin-London flight · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is just on half past nine.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Now we know the highly anticipated Darwin London flight began
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: last night. It landed in Darwen on Monday from Sydney
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: before taking off for London.
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  Speaker 1: Not sure what time.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly, but joining me on the line to tell us
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  Speaker 2: more about this is the acting Sea of NT Airports,
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  Speaker 2: Tom Ganley, Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 3: Tomo Akatie.
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  Speaker 1: How are you very well? Tom? What time did that
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  Speaker 1: flight take off last night?
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  Speaker 3: It took off at seven minutes past eleven and the
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  Speaker 3: doors shut two minutes early actually, so it was a
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  Speaker 3: great on time performance.
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  Speaker 1: On how did it all go? Did it go off
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  Speaker 1: without a hitch?
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  Speaker 3: It went extremely well. So one hundred and seventy people
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  Speaker 3: came up from Sydney and we had about thirty joiners
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  Speaker 3: from Darwin, and you know in about six and a
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  Speaker 3: half hours they'll be landing into a cool six degrees
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  Speaker 3: in London.
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  Speaker 2: It seems quite unbelievable, doesn't it, to be able to
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  Speaker 2: get on a flight in Darwin and then get off
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  Speaker 2: in London.
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  Speaker 3: Well, you know, to go from twenty five degrees sort
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: of seventeen hours later you know you're at six degrees
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  Speaker 3: and so you know they've tracked well, it's going to
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  Speaker 3: be about half an hour early, so they've made great time.
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  Speaker 2: And of those thirty that joined them last night with
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  Speaker 2: a Territorians or were some of them staff as well.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so that half were staff for crew and half
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  Speaker 3: were Territorians. So the flights can accommodate two hundred and
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  Speaker 3: thirty six people and you know last night there were
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  Speaker 3: about two hundred on board. So the return flight comes
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  Speaker 3: in here on Wednesday and it arrives just before lunch
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  Speaker 3: and Tom.
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  Speaker 2: What's the process in terms of obviously that flight came
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  Speaker 2: from Sydney, what is the process in terms of those
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  Speaker 2: passengers that are on that initial flight and then transiting
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  Speaker 2: obviously through Darwin, so the.
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  Speaker 3: Passengers remain in the Darwen Transit lounge, so they remain
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  Speaker 3: in the international part of the terminal. So there are
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  Speaker 3: you know, there's the new Quantus lounge there, so many
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  Speaker 3: of them got to access last night and you know
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  Speaker 3: have a Haluxa and some dar and lemonade. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: there are facilities there and it's about ninety minutes on
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  Speaker 3: the ground, so it's a good chance to get a
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  Speaker 3: leg stretch before you jump on board for the seventeen
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  Speaker 3: hour flight.
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  Speaker 1: And how often are the flights going to be operating now.
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  Speaker 3: So up to five times per week and at the
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  Speaker 3: end of the month of twenty seventh, in November, the
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  Speaker 3: flight will also come from Melbourne to Darwin to London.
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  Speaker 2: Right, And I know that a lot of people will
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  Speaker 2: be wondering, you know, is there quite a bit happening
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  Speaker 2: behind the scenes. I guess in an effort to try
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  Speaker 2: and keep this flight, or keep both of those flights
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  Speaker 2: running post the April date which is initially being given.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely. So we're working extremely hard with the Northern Territory Government,
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  Speaker 3: Minister Files and also with Quantas just to continue these services.
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  Speaker 3: Quantus see a great opportunity here to launch just from
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  Speaker 3: our strategic geographic location. And we've also got flights to
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  Speaker 3: India staff early December as well, and they're looking to
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  Speaker 3: have those going daily by January. So there is a
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  Speaker 3: wonderful opportunity for us, a wonderful opportunity for Territorians to
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  Speaker 3: get on board and make these flights the success they
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  Speaker 3: can be.
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  Speaker 2: So Tom, sorry, just tell us a bit more about
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  Speaker 2: that India one. So that's going to be happening daily up.
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  Speaker 3: To so they've applied for daily services so from January.
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  Speaker 3: So we'll start three times per week on the sixth
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  Speaker 3: of December and it will land it to dear Gandhy Airport.
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  Speaker 3: You know, just going from Sydney today and to Todaihi,
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  Speaker 3: so a great opportunity. They're a three thirty aircraft, so
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  Speaker 3: a beautiful aircraft to fly on.
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  Speaker 2: How big an opportunity and I mean, how sort of
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  Speaker 2: how big a positive is this four nty airports When
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  Speaker 2: you look at you know, some of the concerns that
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  Speaker 2: you probably had eighteen months ago when COVID really struck
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  Speaker 2: and looking at the capacity at the airport and now
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  Speaker 2: when you think about the fact that we've got you know,
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  Speaker 2: these regular international flight it seems quite incredible.
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  Speaker 3: It really is incredible, Katie. And it's a wonderful opportunity
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  Speaker 3: for us to bring Australians to Darwin and if they
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  Speaker 3: do need to connect to the rest of the world,
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  Speaker 3: you know, we're a great launch point without having to
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  Speaker 3: go through another port such as Singapore or Dubai and
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  Speaker 3: you know, mixing with other people, you know, you're mixing
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  Speaker 3: with Australians here and you're getting point to point services,
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  Speaker 3: so you're getting a timely and a seamless travel experience.
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  Speaker 2: And Tom, how things looking you know, even when you
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  Speaker 2: look at those domestic flights as well.
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  Speaker 1: Over the Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: Period, is it going to be a busy time for
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  Speaker 2: you out there at the airport.
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  Speaker 3: It is going to be busy and we really recommend people,
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  Speaker 3: you know, strongly consider their travel plans book now and
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  Speaker 3: just so you know there are services here so you're
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  Speaker 3: not disappointed if you do decide to go later. It
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  Speaker 3: is looking to be a very busy period. And yeah,
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  Speaker 3: we're back open twenty four hours a day, which is excellent.
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  Speaker 2: It is and you mentioned it before, I bought that
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  Speaker 2: new lounge, so what is it? Is it the new
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  Speaker 2: international lounge there for those passengers that are traveling obviously
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  Speaker 2: over to London or India.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, so's the Catalina lounge that was previously used for
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  Speaker 3: international operations. Quantus has taken over that lounge and it's
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  Speaker 3: got a capacity of up to one hundred people so
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  Speaker 3: have made it a truly you know, luxury experience for
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  Speaker 3: those those members of the Quantus Club and you're able
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  Speaker 3: to use that experience. So coming into Darwen and leaving Darwin,
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  Speaker 3: so you know, there was a lovely super served last night.
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  Speaker 3: You know, perfect way to relax theirs showers in there
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  Speaker 3: as well. So it's a great opportunity for people to
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  Speaker 3: use experience. And we had a lounge here thirty years ago,
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  Speaker 3: so it's great to have a Pontius International Lounge back
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  Speaker 3: at our Dawen Airport.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, I know the Minister mentioned this a
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  Speaker 2: bit earlier. She said that, you know, there was plenty
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  Speaker 2: of naysays when it comes to that London flight, but
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  Speaker 2: it does seem though Darwin is really genuinely being looked
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  Speaker 2: at at this point in time by Quantus and hopefully,
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  Speaker 2: you know, when you consider how how much has happened
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  Speaker 2: over the last eighteen months with COVID, hopefully it does
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  Speaker 2: end up being a real opportunity for US long term.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, and certainly the CEO of Quintus yesterday, all Enjoyce,
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  Speaker 3: recognized the NT and Quantus it's rich routes or roots
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  Speaker 3: here in Darwin and Northern Territory their first flight leaving
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  Speaker 3: here in nineteen thirty five. So he spoke very highly
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  Speaker 3: of the cooperation with the government and the airports here
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  Speaker 3: just to facilitate operations and get Australia going again.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Darwin well, NTI Airports, I should say, Acting CEO
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  Speaker 2: Tom Gandley.
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  Speaker 1: Good to catch up with you. Thanks so much for
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: your time this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you, Katie, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk again soon.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: Tom Ganley there, the acting CEO at the nt Airport