Fed: New airline heralds a golden tourism era, Beattie

AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2001
Fed: New airline heralds a golden tourism era, Beattie

Premier PETER BEATTIE says the north Queensland-based cut-price Australian Airlines
heralds a golden era for both the region and the tourism industry.

Qantas has announced it will establish a one-class discount international airline in
Cairns in the second half of next year, to initially fly between Cairns and six Asian
cities.

Mr BEATTIE says the new airline will create around 10,000 tourism-related jobs, bring
an extra 350,000 tourists to Cairns in the first year and generate an estimated $500 million
in tourism expenditure.

The airline will use five Boeing 767-300 aircraft with a 270 all-economy seat configuration.

It will initially fly to Nagoya and Osaka in Japan daily, and Fukuoka in Japan, Singapore
and Hong Kong three times a week.

The airline also plans to fly to Taipei in Taiwan, Seoul and Shanghai as it expands.

AAP RTV bja/sc/rp

KEYWORD: QANTAS QLD (BRISBANE)

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