Jetstar has announced that in June, it will commence direct services from Sydney to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the Red Centre, bringing a total of 1400 seats each week to the destination.

Four weekly Airbus A320 services will provide cost effective fare options to one of Australia’s most popular destinations, the NT.

With the recent development of the exciting new Uluru Meeting Place at Voyages Ayers Rock Resort, it is expected that the NT’s competitive edge for business events will be even sharper, particularly in the associations sector where cost can play a significant part in destination selection and delegate attendance.

Qantas and QantasLink will continue to offer same-day connections to Uluru (Ayers Rock) from Sydney and Melbourne via Alice Springs. Furthermore, Virgin Australia’s daily direct service from Sydney to Uluru (Ayers Rock) means that three airlines will now be servicing the destination.

This announcement follows hot on the heels of the news that Tiger Airways will commence flights to Alice Springs in April, with four return services operating each week from Melbourne, as well as a new four times weekly service between Sydney and Alice Springs. The new Tiger Airways services are conveniently timed to suit business and conference travellers and will provide over 5,000 additional seats through Alice Springs Airport each week.

It is not only in the air that new developments are taking place, said  Alice Springs Airport general manager, Katie Cooper. She advised that there will be an upgrade to the retail and airport experience in Alice Springs which includes the revamping of the entire food and beverage offering.

With all these aviation developments, it could not be better timing for the Australian Airports Association (AAA) National Airports Conference to be held at the Darwin Convention Centre in September 2013. Expected to attract more than 500 delegates from across Australia and Asia, it will also provide the perfect opportunity for Darwin’s International Airport to showcase its own significant expansion plans, which will ultimately lead to a doubling of the airport’s capacity.

Scott Lovett, Director of Business Events for the Northern Territory Convention Bureau (NTCB), said there’s a lot happening in the Territory, not least being these new aviation developments.

“We believe that the introduction of these very cost-effective airfare options will assist to make our NT destinations even more accessible and affordable for domestic and international conference events,” he said. “We’re also hoping that event planners and delegates will make the most of the travel cost savings by adding more exciting NT experiences and activities into their programme while they are in the NT.”