Flights will start on 9 December and connect in Singapore to the QF1 to Heathrow. The initial service will be five times a week, with plans to move to daily from March 2025. 

Qantas had previously turned the route over to its budget brand Jetstar, which will continue to operate to Singapore. 

For Qantas mainline passengers, the new route means around five hours saved by no longer having to fly to London from another Australian city. Qantas Group also operates eight domestic routes from Darwin.

The Singapore service, which takes around four hours 45 minutes, will be operated with a 97-seat Embraer E190. Qantas said the smaller aircraft made the service viable. 

Fares between Darwin and Singapore start from £357 return, with London-Darwin from £1,298.

Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said: “This new route also allows us to restore the link to the UK which was established when international borders first reopened after the pandemic and we temporarily re-routed our London flight via Darwin with the support of the Northern Territory Government and Darwin airport."

Northern Territory minister for tourism and hospitality Joel Bowden added: “Qantas’ commitment to the Territory reinforces our profile as a must-do destination for international visitors.”