Hunter residents chasing a coastal getaway are set to welcome the announcement of weekly flights to Lord Howe Island beginning next month.
Flights to the world-heritage site are thanks to a new agreement between Newcastle Airport and Port Macquarie based airline, Eastern Air Services.
A direct service from Newcastle Airport to Lord Howe Island will begin on Saturday 14 November.
The direct service will run on 10-seater Beechcraft B200 aircraft to the island, which falls within the NSW jurisdiction.
News of the increased route comes 48 hours after the transport hub announced direct flights to Canberra beginning Friday 20 November.
Newcastle Airport Chief Executive Dr Peter Cock said he was excited about the increased buoyancy the aviation industry was facing.
“With domestic borders starting to open, I think we’ll see strong demand for leisure travel within Australia in the coming weeks,” he said.
“We know our customers are keen to fly and with international travel still some way off, we feel the people of our region deserve a range of exciting and unique holiday options.
“The eco-tourism experience at this World Heritage island certainly fits that category.”
Dr Cock said the flights would also provide medical and retail support to Lord Howe Island residents.
Eastern Air Services Chief Executive Christian Corse added he hoped to increase the service over summer months if there was sufficient demand from holidaymakers.
“Lord Howe Island is incredibly popular with the people of the Central Coast, Hunter and Mid North Coast, so we expect this service to grow quickly,” he said.
Flight time for the weekly service is two hours.
Bookings can be made via the Eastern Air Services website or via a travel agent.
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