The state government says the airline will aim to have 12 return flights each week between Adelaide and Kingscote during the coming summer, then nine a week during the 2024 winter.

The airline currently operates four return flights to the island each week.

Visiting the island along with his SA cabinet colleagues on Thursday, Premier Peter Malinauskas said the extra flights would allow more interstate and international visitors to travel with certainty.

“Kangaroo Island, in all of its natural beauty, is a prime drawcard for international and interstate tourists to come to South Australia,” he said.

“It’s been through a challenging few years. Devastating fires and a global pandemic were tough, but proved the resilience of the island and its people.”

The bushfires across the 2019/20 summer impacted about 40 per cent of the island and took out key tourism infrastructure, but much of the rebuilding work is now nearing completion.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has helped support nine new tourism businesses and has invested more than $2.5 million in marketing and event support for a sector that employs about 1500 people and is worth $187 million a year.

QantasLink chief executive John Gissing said the airline understood how important reliable air services were to communities such as Kangaroo Island to keep them connected and help drive more inbound tourism.

-AAP