Jetstar is temporarily halting flights connecting its popular Darwin-Bali route from October 9 to November 8 due to construction plans at Darwin Airport.
“We have temporarily stopped selling direct flights between Darwin and Denpasar scheduled from 9 October to 8 November 2023 due to potential runway works by the Department of Defence,” Jetstar said in a statement.
Meanwhile there is a lot of uncertainty over the exact time of the runway works. The Darwin's Airport Development Group has confirmed that the construction will take place over the coming 12 to 19 months without giving an exact date.
The Department of Defence ideally wants to undertake the construction work during the region's dry season, between May and September and at night/non-peak times to minimize disruption to commercial airlines.
"While the dates and times of the runway works have not yet been confirmed, we have proactively stopped selling flights during this period to limit the number of customers potentially affected,” the airline said in a statement.
"Once the works are confirmed, we will contact customers already booked to fly to discuss their options including indirect flights via another port, a travel credit, or a refund to their original form of payment. We thank customers for their understanding and patience as we wait for confirmation about the timing of the runway works,” the statement added.
Hence with the uncertainty around this route, the airline won’t immediately cancel the booked tickets. The airline will update the passengers once the runway construction work dates are confirmed and rebook the passengers or issue a refund.