Qantas could open ultra-long-haul routes from Australia to a variety of destinations in Europe and North America, chief executive Alan Joyce has said after the airline completed a test of the longest non-stop commercial passenger flight.
Qantas is to undertake three ultra long-haul research flights as part of its planning to operate non-stop routes from the east coast of Australia to London and New York. Chief executive Alan Joyce said there was “plenty of enthusiasm” for the routes, with a decision over their launch expected before the end of the year.
Qantas has received final approval to form a joint business with American Airlines, but its hopes for a new codeshare deal with Cathay Pacific on flights between Hong Kong and Australia have been thwarted.
American Airlines and Qantas have been granted tentative approval for a joint venture on flights between the US and Australia and New Zealand, opening the door for the launch new routes and increased capacity. The first new services are expected to link Brisbane with Chicago and San Francisco.
Delegates attending the global route development forum in September will hear from the CEOs of Tigerair Australia, airBaltic, Saudi Arabian Airlines and more.
Senior network planners from some of the Pacific’s leading carriers will be seizing the opportunities available at the 25th World Route Development Forum.
This week: VietJet to provide its first non-stop link between Vietnam and Indonesia; Qantas increases services to Japan; and Hainan Airlines expands its North America connectivity.
As 2018 draws to a close, Routesonline looks at some of the biggest stories making the headlines this year. Part one of our review features the attempted takeover of Norwegian; an interview with British Airways boss Alex Cruz; the first non-stop link between the UK and Australia; and the fastest-growing airports in the world. Plus we were in Quito, Brisbane and Bilbao for the regional Americas, Asia and Europe route development forums.
Routesonline provides an update on the operations of the Airbus A380. We also reveal the network size of each operator and the top destinations served by the aircraft type.
Qantas’ recent launch of a non-stop route from London to Perth is shaking up the Australian aviation scene – and the airline is busy building on its success.
