• 

  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

Qantas has brought forward its resumption of non-stop services between Perth and London. The flights originally commenced in March 2018, and quickly became a hit with passengers. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 brought them to a halt. Nonetheless, they will return to the skies in less than three weeks.

Back in business

Qantas made headlines earlier this week with a big announcement regarding its 'Project Sunrise' flights. Following an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000s, the Australian flag carrier will directly link London and New York with the country's east coast from 2025. However, it also has things to look forward to in the shorter term.

Indeed, this is because, as announced today in a statement by Perth Airport (PER), May 23rd will see the airline restart non-stop services between London Heathrow (LHR) and Western Australia. This marks an earlier restart than the planned date of June 19th. Regarding the resumption, the airport's CEO, Kevin Brown, said:

"This direct service will be convenient for those passengers heading to the UK and Europe and will help recover the UK tourism market for WA. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, international passenger numbers plummeted, but we are looking forward to working constructively with Qantas as we rebuild the sector with the direct London service, as well as the direct Rome service which commences in June."

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Why has the restart been brought forward?

For its two years of pre-pandemic operation, Qantas' non-stop flights between Perth and London were among its most popular. As such, with Australia having only recently reopened its borders, it is unsurprising that there is significant pent-up demand. Indeed, Airline Ratings notes that booking levels on its current non-stop Darwin-London flights have surpassed those seen before the pandemic.

However, payloads on this route have become restricted due to it having to be re-routed around closed Russian airspace. Contrastingly, the London-Perth route avoids such territory anyway, and thus can operate at its full potential. Overall, this marks a promising sign in terms of Australian aviation's wider recovery. Brown adds:

"Aviation recovery will stimulate growth in our $12 billion tourism industry which supports 100,000 jobs, our $2 billion international student sector supporting 10,000 jobs, and our exporters who rely on passenger flights for 83% of all airfreight exports."

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Timings and aircraft

A quick look on Qantas' booking engine shows that passengers flying non-stop between London and Perth should expect journeys of around 17 hours. Specifically, flight QF9 from Perth to London is timed to take 17 hours and 15 minutes, leaving at 18:50 and arriving at 05:05 the following morning. Meanwhile, the return leg (QF10) will leave London Heathrow at 11:55 local time.

After a slightly shorter block time of 16 hours and 45 minutes, its touchdown in Perth is scheduled to occur at 11:40 the following morning. Qantas will operate the flights using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. According to SeatGuru, these feature 42 business class flatbeds, 28 premium economy recliners, and a nine-abreast (3-3-3) economy class section consisting of 166 standard seats.

What do you make of the resumption of Qantas' Perth-London flights being brought forward? Did you travel on one before the pandemic? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: Airline Ratings