Qantas customers will continue to be able to fly between Sydney and Lord Howe Island thanks to the agreement between the two Australian carriers.

The retirement of Qantas’ Q200 aircraft, which is currently used to operate the regional link, had called into question connectivity by air for Lord Howe Island, which is located in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. However, a codeshare agreement between the two carriers will ensure the air link continues for the foreseeable future. Skytrans has been awarded the licence to operate flights to the island by the New South Wales Government, starting in February 2026 on the Q200. It has been awarded the licence to operate the regulated route until March 2030.

Connectivity for remote and isolated communities

Founded in 1990, the regional carrier has been serving the Cape and the Torres Strait region for more than 30 years and has extensive experience providing air service to remote and isolated communities. It operates a fleet of 13 regional aircraft including 7 Dash-8 aircraft. The additional Q200 aircraft which will be used on the Lord Howe Island route will take its fleet to 16. The island link which will operate from Qantas’ Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport, will continue with the same frequency and schedule as they do currently with Qantas.

QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan said the codeshare agreement follows a commitment to maintain services to the island. “We have a long and proud history with Lord Howe Island and are pleased to be partnering with Skytrans to make sure the island continues to have a reliable air service as the Q200s are phased out of the QantasLink fleet.”

She added that building on more than 30 years of service, Qantas will “continue to support both the island and Skytrans throughout the transition period, and into the future.”

Adding his enthusiasm for the agreement, Skytrans CEO Alan Milne, said: “Skytrans is honoured to be able to continue this essential air service sand looks forward to working closely with the Lord Howe Island community to ensure a safe, reliable and customer focused operation continues.”

Image source: Skytrans