Qantas is ramping up capacity on some of its most popular routes, with more 787 Dreamliners and A380s coming back into service, following recent cabin refurbishments and associated maintenance.
The Qantas Group, which includes low-cost carrier Jetstar, is currently at around 80% of its pre-pandemic international capacity. This is on track to reach 100% by March 2024, and surpass this in July 2024.
Qantas Returns Two Airbus A380s And Adds Extra International Seats
The announcement from Qantas included some network changes that will flow from the additional 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A380s coming into service.
From July 2024, Qantas will upgrade its Sydney-Johannesburg route as the airline ramps up international flights beyond the pre-pandemic level. The 14-hour non-stop route is currently being flown by a Boeing 787, and will be upgraded to an Airbus A380 from July 2024. The upgrade to the double decker superjumbo will mean almost twice as many seats in the sky. This will also include substantial increases in both business class and premium economy cabins.
Along with the upgrade on the Sydney-Johannesburg route, Qantas also announced other schedule boosts. We will see Sydney-Auckland-New York move to a daily service from the current four flights per week, in August 2024. Sydney-Los Angeles will increase from eight to nine per week from July 2024, with a mix of Boeing 787s and Airbus A380s, while Melbourne-Los Angeles will see more A380 flights added too. Finally, Sydney-Bali will be upgraded from a domestic Boeing 737 to a twin-aisle A330 on a daily basis from October 2023.
“We know our customers are looking for great value and this additional capacity will put more pressure on fares,” said Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace.
“The additional capacity will largely be made possible through our final two A380s returning to the Qantas fleet following heavy maintenance and cabin improvements.”
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