A $17 million airport upgrade will allow QantasLink to begin flights to Kingscote on Kangaroo Island from December, with year round services from Adelaide and summer seasonal flights to Melbourne.
The Qantas regional airline subsidiary will begin three times weekly Adelaide-Kingscote flights on December 4, with frequencies on the route increasing to five times weekly for the peak summer period through to Easter. Three times weekly Melbourne-Kingscote flights commence on December 17, and will operate through to the end of January.
Flights from Adelaide will be operated by 50-seat Dash 8 Q300 turboprops, while the Melbourne flights will be operated by larger 74-seat Dash 8 Q400s.
QantasLink flew a Q300 to Kangaroo Island on Monday to mark the announcement, which will see the Qantas regional subsidiary return to the popular tourism island after a decade plus absence.
Today we were part of the Qantas press release for the new Kangaroo Island flights beginning this December. Otto loved meeting everyone. pic.twitter.com/dVepp45EjA
— KI Wildlife Park (@KIWildlifePark) June 5, 2017
Regional Express currently operates to Kangaroo Island up to three times daily with its 34-seat Saab 340s.
Qantas says the new services will be possible thanks to “more efficient” utilisation of QantasLink’s Dash 8 fleet.
Kingscote will become QantasLink’s the 55th destination, including its fourth in South Australia destination after Adelaide, Port Lincoln and Whyalla.
The upgrades to Kingscote Airport comprise runway extensions and a new terminal building capable of handling security screening. The project is jointly funded by the South Australian and Federal governments, and is due to be completed in November.
QantasLink Kangaroo Island peak season schedule
| Flight number | Days of week | Route | Depart | Arrive | Aircraft |
| QF2142 | Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Adelaide-Kingscote | 1040 | 1115 | Q300 |
| QF2143 | Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Kingscote-Adelaide | 1145 | 1220 | Q300 |
| QF2140 | Tue, FriSun | Melbourne-Kingscote | 11351220 | 12301315 | Q400 |
| QF2141 | Tue, FriSun | Kingscote-Melbourne | 13451300 | 15501505 | Q400 |
