Starting on September 10, 2024, Qantas will fly three times a week between Brisbane Airport (BNE) and Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) in Port Vila, with the ability to increase to five per week based on demand. 

From December 12, 2024, Jetstar will offer up to four weekly flights between Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) and VLI.  

The flights will make up a combined 50,000 new seats each year between Australia and Vanuatu.

Qantas will launch its new flights with its Boeing 737 aircraft, while Jetstar will use its fleet of Airbus A321neo LRs.

Qantas International CEO, Cam Wallace said the new route would help meet continued demand for travel between Australia and Vanuatu.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to offer our customers direct flights between Brisbane and Vanuatu and build on this important route which will maintain essential connectivity for leisure and business travel,鈥� Wallace said in a statement.

鈥淲e鈥檝e long served Vanuatu through our codeshare partnership and this new route ensures our customers have more choice and consistent service to the island destination we know they enjoy,鈥� Wallace added.

Jetstar Group CEO, Stephanie Tully said Vanuatu is a new destination for Jetstar.

鈥淎head of the arrival of our 13th A321neo LR next month and more new aircraft on the way, we鈥檙e continuing to grow our international network with the launch of low fares seats between Sydney and Port Vila,鈥� Tully said.

According to Vanuatu精东影业 , Australians make up 62% of overseas visitors in the country. 

Located 2,000 kilometers northeast of Brisbane, Vanuatu has shared deep bilateral relations with Australia for decades.

Australia established a presence in Vanuatu in 1978 and championed the case for Vanuatu’s independence in the United Nations and Pacific Forums in the lead up to independence in 1980.

On May 9, 2024, Vanuatu精东影业 flag carrier, Air Vanuatu, grounded its fleet and canceled future flights following the dissolution of the airline精东影业 board.听

Grounded carrier Air Vanuatu eyes potential investors to fund revival聽聽

• Airlines
• Aviation Economics & Finance

byLuke Peters

2024-06-19

The new year-round route will see Qantas operate to the French capital for the first time in nearly two decades, cutting around three hours from the current fastest travel time from Perth to Paris. 

The Australian flag carrier said the new onboard items, created especially for the Paris flights, will kickstart European summer holidays for its customers.

Chic limited-edition pajamas created by Australian designer Martin Grant with matching French-inspired amenity kits will be on offer for business class customers traveling on the new Paris route.

The navy pajamas display the flight number, QF 33, along with a decorated journey route from Perth to Paris. 

Grant considers Paris to be the fashion capital of the world and his love for the city made this collaboration with Qantas particularly special.

鈥淎fter living in Paris for the past 30 years, the direct Perth-Paris flights will make it easy to fly from one home to another. I was thrilled to be able to team up with Qantas again to create the pajamas and amenity kit to celebrate these new flights and the simplicity of French design,鈥� Grant said in a statement.

French curated menu

Passengers on the Perth-Paris flights will be treated to popular French classics curated by Qantas Creative Director of Food, Beverage and Service, Neil Perry.

Perry said the new dishes pay homage to the great qualities of French cooking.

鈥淔rench cuisine is made up of so many amazing classic dishes, we spent a lot of time developing a menu that captures the balance of richness and freshness in French flavors whilst also keeping an element of familiarity that our customers love,鈥� Perry said.

French bistro favorites including cr猫me caramel and goats cheese salad with walnut vinaigrette will also be on offer across selected Qantas First and Business lounges throughout Australia.

Qantas French menu highlights: 

• Beef fillet with pomme puree, snow peas and Caf茅 de Paris butter.
• Fresh tuna Nicoise salad with olives, green beans, and lemon dressing.
• Coq au vin with pancetta, mushrooms, potato puree and snow peas.
• Duck and pistachio p芒t茅 en cro没te with cornichons, radishes and watercress.
• Rum Savarin with berries and chantilly cream.

From July 12, 2024, the 17-hour Perth-Paris flights will initially operate four days per week (during the peak European summer) with the airline精东影业 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Services will then move to three per week from mid-August 2024. 

The launch of the new route comes just in time for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.听

Qantas restarts Shanghai flights and reveals plans for new Paris route in 2024

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2023-10-30

The larger incoming Q400s are described by the carrier to be 鈥榤id-life鈥� models, presumably having already been flying for other operators previously. The first aircraft will join the fleet of the airline精东影业 regional division (QantasLink) by the end of 2024, following which the phase-out of the smaller variants will follow.听聽

According to a statement issued by Qantas, 鈥渢he Q400 aircraft are more than 30% faster than the Q200 and Q300 aircraft, saving customers time traveling to and from regional destinations. The younger fleet will also help improve operational reliability. The investment is part of [our] ongoing commitment to keeping regional Australia connected.鈥澛�

This investment by the Sydney-based carrier will bring the total number of Q400 aircraft in the fleet to 45. The consolidation of the three Dash 8 sub-fleets into a single fleet of turboprops will provide QantasLink with scale benefits and efficiencies including lower maintenance and operating costs.鈥疉lthough the relative sizes of the variants leaving and joining the fleet differ, the airline states that the overall capacity across its network will remain unchanged.  

QantasLink currently has 31 Q400s in its fleet, which will increase to 45 following the new investment. The 14 incoming Q400s will have 78 seats (four more than the carrier精东影业 existing Q400s) compared to 50 seats on the Q300s and 36 seats on its Q200s. The additional aircraft are on average more than 10 years younger than the aircraft they are replacing according to the airline and produce less carbon emissions per passenger than the smaller aircraft.  

鈥淎s the national carrier, we are proud of the role we have played for more than 100 years keeping regional communities connected, and this investment ensures there will be ongoing reliable air services across many parts of regional Australia,鈥� said Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson. 鈥淨antasLink turboprops carry more than 3.5 million customers to more than 50 destinations around regional Australia every year, and these next-generation aircraft allow us to improve the travel experience with a faster and more comfortable experience.鈥澛�

鈥淏y consolidating our turboprops into a single fleet type, we鈥檒l be able to further improve our reliability and provide a better recovery for our customers during disruptions as well as reducing complexity and cost for our operation. We know sustainable travel is important鈥痜or our customers. These additional Q400s allow us to provide certainty to the regions over the next decade while we work with aircraft manufacturers and other suppliers on electric or battery-powered aircraft that are the right size and range for our network鈥� Hudson added. 

This latest investment in QantasLink comes as the Qantas Group progresses its broader jet fleet renewal program, with QantasLink精东影业 third Airbus A220 aircraft due to be delivered from Airbus in Canada in July 2024. The first two aircraft of the type have been in operation with the carrier since December 2023 (VH-X4A) and January 2024 (VH-X4B), respectively.  

The airline confirmed that the investment in its regional fleet will be predominantly spread across the 2025 and 2026 financial years.听聽

Qantas: Airbus A350 extra fuel tank certified, Project Sunrise back on track

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-05

Celebrating its 15^th anniversary, Jetstar revealed on June 26, 2024, that its operational increase will include new routes and relocating an additional Airbus A320 aircraft to New Zealand.听聽

The airline will kick things off with new services between Christchurch and Cairns, and Auckland and the Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore) plus an increase in capacity on domestic routes from Christchurch to Auckland and Auckland to Wellington. 

Over the next 12 months the new strategic plan will also include increasing the domestic services in New Zealand and adjusting its Christchurch to Melbourne flight times to improve connectivity to its long-haul international network. 

The additional Airbus A320 will become Jetstar精东影业 eighth to be based in New Zealand and represents the first time the carrier has expanded its fleet in the country in more than 10 years.   

鈥淭his month we鈥檙e celebrating our 15th birthday in New Zealand, and as we mark this milestone, we鈥檙e really excited to be entering such a significant period of growth. Over the past 15 years, we鈥檝e helped make travel more accessible for millions of New Zealanders and this expansion will help to unlock hundreds of thousands of low fares and more choice for our customers and provide a significant boost to tourism on both sides of the Tasman,鈥� said Jetstar Group CEO, Stephanie Tully.  

The Jetstar head added: 鈥淗aving another aircraft based in Christchurch, as well as the launch of new flights and capacity, will help establish the city as a major gateway for Jetstar in New Zealand, providing more choice and great low fares for South Island residents.鈥� 

Queensland Tourism Minister and State Member for Cairns said that the new flights will 鈥済o some way to alleviating the pain of losing Bonza Airlines鈥�.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to see yet another international service booked for Cairns with a three-year commitment by Jetstar for three weekly services from Christchurch to Cairns, starting in April 2025. Sunshine Coast Airport will also benefit from three weekly Jetstar services arriving from Auckland starting in December 2024,鈥� Healy said.听

Turkish Airlines orders four Boeing 777Fs in response to growing global demand

• Air Cargo
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byIan Molyneaux

2024-07-02

The Australian flag carrier has shared images of the B787 aircraft with the message 鈥淕o Australia!鈥� emblazoned on either side of its fuselage.

According to Qantas, the specially-created graphic showcases Australian pride on an international stage and captures the essence of the iconic green and gold Aussie spirit.

This cements the Flying Kangaroo精东影业 proud position as the official carrier of the 2024 Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams, the carrier said.

鈥淨antas has a long and proud history of supporting the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams, from first flying Olympic athletes to the London Games in 1948 to our engineers designing custom cushions and support devices for our Australian Paralympians to travel comfortably on long-haul sectors,鈥� Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a press statement.

鈥淲e are so proud to support our Australian athletes and supporters to get to the Games once again and hope our special cheer squad 787 will help spur on our teams and supporters to put on a great show in Paris,鈥� Hudson added.

(continued below)

Australian Paralympic Team Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin has said that their relationship with Qantas is of great importance to the team.

鈥淨antas offers flexibility around the travel requirements of people with a disability and the equipment they carry, and it精东影业 great the way Paralympics Australia and Qantas collaborate to understand the needs of our team,鈥� McLoughlin said.

鈥淭he flight home from the Games is always special. Qantas has delivered our Paralympians on charter flights home from London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and we鈥檙e thrilled that our team will again be flown home to Australia by Qantas after the Paris Paralympics,鈥� McLoughlin added.

Air Canada renews partnership with Canadian Olympic Committee until 2030

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-05-31

On February 22, 2024, Qantas explained that delivery of its fleet of new Airbus A350-1000s would be delayed by six months because the regulator had requested that the aircraft’s center tank be redesigned.听聽

At the time, Christian Scherer, the CEO of Airbus’ commercial aircraft business, said: “We have to redesign the center tank, the extra fuel tank, that will allow the Sunrise mission, and that’s what explains the shift.”   

On June 4, 2024, at the International Air Transport Association精东影业 (IATA) annual general meeting in Dubai, Qantas head Vanessa Hudson announced that the extra fuel tank, which will enable 22-hour flights from Australia, had received approval from the Australian .听

According to , Hudson said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e working very closely with Airbus, and the first aircraft is due to arrive from mid-2026. It精东影业 passed all the certifications now, so we鈥檙e feeling very optimistic about the delivery timetable.鈥澛犅�

Until the delay was announced earlier this year, Qantas was expecting the first of 24 A350-1000s to start arriving in 2025. 

Qantas initially ordered 12 A350s in 2022 and then a further 12 in 2023 for Project Sunrise, with the aim of providing nonstop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to New York and London.   

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian flag carrier was forced to shelve Project Sunrise. As such, executives are likely to be thrilled that nothing now appears to stand in the way of the flights commencing next year.听聽

Turkish Airlines orders four Boeing 777Fs in response to growing global demand

• Air Cargo
• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-07-02

The Australian flag carrier said that the new process, referred to as 鈥楪roup Boarding鈥�, will reduce the time customers spend lining up at the gate and make it faster for them to be seated onboard.

The new boarding technique has already been adopted by airlines outside of Australia, but it is being practiced for the first time in the country.

This new boarding process will be implemented at four airports: Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) starting June 25, 2024; Brisbane Airport (BNE) starting June 3, 2024; Melbourne International Airport (MEL) starting June 17, 2024; and Perth Airport (PER) starting June 10, 2024, for domestic flights operated by Qantas鈥� Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft.

According to Qantas, its 737 and A330 fleets cover most of its domestic operations. These aircraft allow for more room for improving boarding times. 

鈥淔ocusing on two specific aircraft types will enable us to refine the group boarding process,鈥� the airline said.

Instead of queuing up with all passengers waiting to board at the same time, the Group Boarding process allows customers to board in smaller groups.

Customers will be allocated to one of six boarding groups displayed on their boarding passes. The groups are determined by cabin, Frequent Flyer status, and seat position in the aircraft.

鈥淕roup Boarding is designed to minimize the time our customers spend waiting to board and allows them to get settled more quickly,鈥� Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson said in a statement. 鈥淲e know how important on time departure is to our customers, so this process is also about doing everything possible to ensure we depart on time.鈥�

United Airlines to start WILMA boarding method by October 2023

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2023-10-16

Perth Airport will invest around AUD 3 billion ($2 billion) in new terminal facilities and a new parallel runway to generate immediate and ongoing economic growth and job creation.

This will form part of a AUD 5 billion ($3.33 billion) capital investment program by Perth Airport which will also deliver two multi-storey car parks, major access roadworks, and the airport精东影业 first hotel. According to Qantas, this is the largest-ever private infrastructure development in Perth.

Qantas and Jetstar will also relocate all their services to a dedicated terminal that the airline said will enable the growth required to turn Western Australia into a major domestic and international hub for the airlines.

The new terminal is set to open in 2031, and together, Qantas and Jetstar plan to add 4.4 million seats to and from Perth annually.

The Australian flag carrier said the hub will significantly enhance inbound tourism and give Australians more options when traveling to Asia, Africa, India, and Europe.

Qantas said it will work with Perth Airport on plans for a multi-lounge precinct for international and domestic passengers with a new signature design and bespoke dining and wellness initiatives.

Under the agreement, Qantas also plans to build a new engineering hangar in the Airport Central precinct.

Qantas and Perth Airport have also agreed on the need for and timing of the new parallel runway which is expected to be open in 2028.

鈥淭his is the largest airport infrastructure deal in our history,鈥� Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement. 鈥淚t will enable us to create a world-class western hub and significantly expand our domestic and international services over the short, medium and long term.鈥�

鈥淧erth-London and Perth-Rome are two of the most popular flights on our international network, which gives us confidence in our strategy to ramp up WA flying over the next few years as we receive new aircraft and grow our fleet,鈥� Hudson added.

Hudson also said that the additional flying would see Qantas create an estimated 700 new jobs in Western Australia across pilots, crew, engineering, and airport staff.

Qantas agrees to pay $66M in penalty over ‘ghost flight’ sales lawsuit

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-05-06

According to ch-aviation, the sole remaining 767 aircraft is 18.3 years old and was delivered new, as a freighter, to All Nippon Airways in Japan in February 2006. It was sold to Qantas in February 2011 for use by its subsidiary company, Express Freighters Australia, on its behalf, where it operated in full Qantas Freight livery.听聽

Over the past four decades, the carrier has operated a total of 41 Boeing 767s, including 767-200s, 767-300s, and the 767-300F. The first aircraft, VH-EAJ, arrived with the airline on July 5, 1985, clocking up over 59,000 flight hours before it was retired in 2003. All of the airline精东影业 passenger-carrying 767 fleet had been retired by the end of 2014, having carried over 168 million passengers on 927,000 separate flights.      

Qantas Freight is currently undergoing a fleet renewal program in parallel to the parent company精东影业 switch to a predominantly Airbus-equipped operation. The division is introducing more Airbus A330Fs and A321Fs into its fleet, replacing older Boeing 737-300s and 737-400s, plus the 767-300 which has just retired. The company also has four British Aerospace 146 freighters for use on shorter routes.听

Records show that, despite this particular 767F being retired from service, there are another 280 767-300 freighters still in operation with 14 airlines worldwide. This number excludes other 767-300s that were built as passenger variants but which have since been converted to freighters, of which there are still 233 operating with 30 carriers.   

For now, the Qantas Freight fleet comprises four Airbus A321 freighters, two A330 freighters, one 737-300F, two 747-400Fs, two 146-200s, and two 146-300s. The remaining 737s are all due to be removed from the company精东影业 fleet by the end of 2024.听

Turkish Airlines orders four Boeing 777Fs in response to growing global demand

• Air Cargo
• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-07-02

Shanghai flights to be suspended

The Australian flag carrier said its flight service from Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) will be suspended from July 28, 2024, due to low demand.

Qantas resumed its Sydney-Shanghai service in October 2023 after it was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, according to the carrier, demand has not recovered as anticipated.  

Qantas said it will consider returning the service when demand for the route returns. 

The airline said customers booked to travel on Shanghai flights from July 28, 2024, will be contacted and offered a full refund.

According to Qantas, aircraft used on the Shanghai route will be redirected to boost services to other destinations across Asia where there is increasing demand or new tourism opportunities.

鈥淪ince COVID, the demand for travel between Australia and China has not recovered as strongly as expected. In some months, our flights to and from Shanghai have been operating around half full,鈥� Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said in a statement.

鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to maintain a presence in China through our partners and our existing flights to Hong Kong and look to return to Shanghai in the future,鈥� Wallace added.

Brisbane to Manila flights to be launched

From October 28, 2024, Qantas will begin flights from Brisbane Airport (BNE) to Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in the Philippines.

The four-times weekly flights will be operated by the airline精东影业 fleet of A330 aircraft.

Qantas last flew the Brisbane-Manila route a decade ago. 

Additional flights to Singapore and India

Qantas flights from Sydney to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) will increase from 14 to 17 return flights per week from December 11, 2024.

Brisbane to Singapore will increase from seven to nine return flights per week from October 27, 2024, timed to improve connectivity with Qantas鈥� daily service from SIN Airport to London-Heathrow Airport (LHR). Qantas said the new connection will reduce overall travel time to London by around four hours. 

Flights from Sydney to Bengaluru Airport (BLR) will also increase from five per week to daily in order to cater to strong demand over the peak holiday season from mid-December 2024 to late March 2025.

Turkish Airlines orders four Boeing 777Fs in response to growing global demand

• Air Cargo
• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-07-02