Following yesterday's launch of direct services between Sydney and Seoul, Australia's flag-carrier Qantas has now resumed or launched new services to 28 international destinations. Direct flights now connect Australia's gateway of Sydney and South Korea's capital Seoul for the first time in nearly 15 years.

Since Australia threw open its borders, a move that now even China seems to be taking, Qantas has launched services to eight countries that were not on its pre-COVID network. These include Italy, India and now South Korea. Jetstar, a Qantas Group airline, started three times weekly services between Sydney and Seoul in November.

Qantas and Jetstar adding seats to Seoul

A Jetstar Boeing 787 Dreamliner on final approach
Photo: Jetstar.

Combined, the two airlines offer customers flights six days a week, with a choice of a premium or low-fare airline, adding more than 200,000 seats annually to the Qantas Group network. Flight QF87 will initially operate on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, departing Sydney Airport (SYD) at 09:35 and arriving in Seoul Incheon International (ICN) at 18:20. The route will switch to three times per week between May and October.

The first flight on Saturday, operated with an Airbus A330-300, departed fourteen minutes late but made up the lost time to land in Seoul eighteen minutes early, covering the 5,384 miles (8,665 kilometers) in 10:13 hours. According to Flightaware.com, the return leg, QF88, left Seoul at 20:25 and arrived in Sydney at 09:00 this morning, 45 minutes later than scheduled.

Qantas is under pressure from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to add more capacity, with the regulator warning the nation's airlines not to hold back capacity to keep fares high. Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David said the airline is adding international capacity as quickly as it could, adding:

"The combination of Qantas and Jetstar means we can provide business, premium leisure and low-cost travel options to a destination that caters to different budgets, with good connections for those traveling to and from the other parts of Australia."

Sydney, and the state of New South Wales, attracted approximately 196,200 visitors from South Korea in 2019, bringing in AU$558 million ($379 million) and placing it in the top 5 markets for overseas visitors. Qantas said there had been a "fantastic response" from travelers in both directions since tickets went on sale, particularly with the peak summer holidays about to start in Australia.

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The A330s are working hard

Qantas Airbus A330 landing
Picture: Qantas

Qantas is making good use of its long-held Airbus A330 fleet, which includes 10 A330-300s and 18 A330-200s, with 22 of the 28 A330s in service. Of the inactive aircraft, one A330-300 and two A330-200 are stored.

Data from Flightradar24.com shows the initial Sydney-Seoul flight used an 18-year-old Airbus A330-300, registration VH-QPF and MSN 0595. The aircraft has a two-class layout of 297 seats, 28 in business and 269 in economy.

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Qantas also utilizes its Boeing 787-9s heavily on international routes, with 10 of the 11 in service, including on the Melbourne-Dallas/Fort Worth route launched last week. The ch-aviation.com data shows these are relatively young aircraft with an average age of 3.8 years, compared to the A330-200s at 14.7 and the A330-300s at 18.4 years old.

This month Qantas is adding its sixth Airbus A380 back into service, which all seems to counter the ACCC claim it is withholding capacity to push prices skywards.

Out of the A330, A380 or 787, which Qantas widebody would you prefer to fly on? Let us know in the comments.

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    Qantas
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    QF/QFA
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Brisbane Airport, Melbourne Airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
    Year Founded:
    1920
    Alliance:
    oneworld
    CEO:
    Alan Joyce
    Country:
    Australia