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East Air’s inaugural service from Cairns to Hamilton Island has taken off, linking the two Queensland holiday destinations for the first time since pre-COVID-19.
The flight, operated by Beechcraft 1900D VH-JYA, left Cairns shortly before 9:30am on Monday, and touched down at Hamilton Island just over an hour later. East Air is currently operating Monday and Thursday services, with Sunday flights set to commence in February.
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According to East Air chief executive Alan Milne, forward bookings for the route – previously operated by Qantas before the pandemic – are “exceeding expectations”, with the inaugural flight almost full.
“The service is designed to better serve travellers, both domestic and international. We have created a seamless corridor between two Great Barrier Reef gateways, which means visitors don’t have to choose between one or the other,” he said.
“It is particularly attractive for international tourists who may not often visit regional Queensland. Our connection can be integrated into a customer’s door-to-door itinerary, so it’s really taking the guesswork out of holiday planning by removing lengthy airport transfer periods and additional travel costs.”
According to Milne, locals have welcomed the return of the Cairns–Hamilton Island service,
“As a locally owned carrier, we understand the value and importance of regional air connectivity. Residents in Tropical North Queensland and the Whitsundays are excited to have another convenient holiday option.
“Sales are strong and building, and we’re thrilled with how quickly the flights are returning to their previous passenger loads, when Qantas flew this route pre-COVID.”
The 2024–25 financial year saw international tourism in Far North Queensland increase by 24.7 per cent to $1.2 billion.
According to Andrew Powell, Queensland’s Minister for the Environment and Tourism, the route is a “shining example” of growth potential under the state’s new tourism plan, unveiled earlier this year.
“Connectivity is not just an expectation of our visitors, it’s a core network that locals deserve too, which is why this forms one of the core pillars of Destination 2045.
“Opening up our state is a great way to boost visitor economies across our iconic regions, and I’m excited to see more routes in the future.”
Milne, ex-CEO of Skytrans (now SmartLynx Australia), bought East Air – previously purely a charter airline – from its previous owners earlier this year with the intent to become “a dominant player in the regional market” in Queensland.
While East Air currently operates two Beechcraft 1900s, Milne intends to expand the fleet with around four to five Dash-8 aircraft by the middle of next year, with the aircraft potentially to come from those recently offloaded by QantasLink.
