Qantas have announced a new network-wide schedule will be implemented to better utilise new and returning aircrafts, with an added destination to Palau. This year-long boost will increase availability to North America as well as Asian and trans-Tasman routes.

Capacity Expansion

Qantas will begin a revised year-long program to boost capacity across its international network from February 2025. An additional 220,000 new seats will be added on the back of more A380s returning from the pandemic storage. Since two of the superjumbos will return to the fleet next year, Qantas will increase capacity by 13% to the USA, with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner set to return to Brisbane. This will see Premium Economy seats back on flights to both Los Angeles and Auckland, resulting in a 40% jump in capacity.

New Routes

From early February, flights between Melbourne and Dallas will increase from three to four weekly, whereas Sydney to New York (via Auckland) will decrease slightly from six weekly flights to just five.

The Flying Kangaroo will also introduce direct flights between Brisbane and Palau. This comes with weekly services to the South Pacific region as part of a Federal Government contract to maintain trade and tourism links to the small nation. A launch date for this new service is yet to be determined. Another destination on the return is New Caledonia, coming back to the Qantas network from December. It had stopped previously in April after civil unrest in the South Pacific region. An Embraer E190 will fly twice weekly, marking the debut of this aircraft on the route.

Unfortunately, Qantas will end service between Sydney and Soul, instead increasing the service through Jetstar. This flight will operate four-times weekly to daily from June 2025- a move aimed at better serving leisure demand for the South Korean capital. On the smaller side, QantasLink’s new A220 aircraft will debut on the international network when the airline commences flying between Darwin and Singapore next March.

From the Qantas Group

CEO of the Qantas Group International, Cam Wallace, has enthused about the new changes coming for Qantas. “We’re so excited to be offering our customers more than 220,000 additional seats on our network, a new international destination, and our brand-new A220 aircraft for our Singapore – Darwin flights, which will be the first of its kind to operate out of Singapore,” Wallace said. “We’re also looking forward to seeing more of our A380s return to the skies and offering more premium seats for customers to book to some of our popular international destinations.” “This growth is good news for our people and also allows us to offer more choice for our customers travelling around the Qantas network.”

If you are looking forward to flying on one of these new routes, chat to an Qantas airfare specialist here. Check out our latest Qantas deals here.