OREANDA-NEWS. QantasLink announced it has received formal approval to operate on the Moree - Sydney route on a short-term relief basis.

Qantas will initially operate a special ad-hoc daily return service on Tuesday 24 December 2013 and Friday 27 December 2013, moving to daily return services from 29 December 2013 until 21 March 2014.

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said Qantas was delighted to be able to provide the Moree community with reliable air services.

“We are delighted to be returning to the Moree community on a temporary relief basis,” said Mr Gissing.

“We are offering Moree customers discounted airfares starting from USD 129, as well as special relief airfares for those customers who were originally booked on Brindabella.

“We will quickly move to daily services after the Christmas break and will look to potentially increase services to double daily in February.

“We recognise how important access to air transport is to regional communities, especially for medical and business purposes,” added Mr Gissing.

Customers who were booked to fly on Brindabella from Moree to Sydney will be eligible for a special relief airfare. For customers not ticketed with Brindabella wishing to travel to/from Moree, QantasLink is offering airfares starting at USD 129.

Following Brindabella's suspension of operations and subsequent receivership on the weekend, Qantas, as the national carrier, immediately announced it would provide impacted customers with special relief airfares and would be looking at a range of options to help impacted communities.

Impacted Brindabella customers can access the special relief airfares through the Qantas Contact Centre on 13 13 13. Alternatively customers can make new bookings on qantas.com, through their local travel agent or through the Qantas Contact Centre.

Brindabella customers in Mudgee and Cobar who currently hold a valid Brindabella ticket will be eligible to receive special relief fares from the closest QantasLink port, Dubbo.

Brindabella customers in Narrabri who currently hold a valid Brindabella ticket will be eligible to receive special relief fares from the closest QantasLink port, Moree, as well as Tamworth and Armidale.

Brindabella customers in Tamworth who currently hold a valid Brindabella ticket will be eligible to receive special relief airfares to Brisbane via Sydney.

Brindabella customers in Coffs Harbour who currently hold a valid Brindabella ticket will be eligible to receive special relief airfares to Brisbane via Sydney.

Brindabella customers in Newcastle who currently hold a valid Brindabella ticket will be eligible to receive special relief airfares to Canberra via Sydney.