Qantas and Emirates have started mapping out the future of their alliance and it could see the Flying Kangaroo travelling to mainland Europe while its Gulf partner services new Australian cities.
The long-term strategy was reportedly discussed between Qantas chief Alan Joyce and Emirates’ president Tim Clark last week and would include a considerable upgrade to the existing code over the next three to five year.
Currently the agreement which launched in 2013 includes shared lounges and an exchange of frequent flyer points as well as 14 daily code share services between Australia and Dubai.
The two airline bosses are reportedly hoping to expand the agreement by sending Qantas’ Boeing 787-9 aircraft from Dubai to various destinations in mainland Europe such as Frankfurt, Paris and Rome, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
However, these services wouldn’t be able to commence until late 2017 when Boeing is scheduled to start delivering Qantas’ Dreamliners.
At present, the airline only offers one daily A380 flight from Sydney to London via Dubai, and one from Melbourne to London via Dubai.
In exchange for increased access to Europe, Emirates would begin flying to new Australian cities such as Darwin, Cairns, Broome or Alice Springs.
Clark told reporters in Dubai he was confident the two could expand the relationship despite a recent dip in the Australian dollar.
“There are lots [of possibilities].”
Tim Clark, Emirates President
The Dubai-based carrier is also reportedly considering expanding its offerings on its existing Australian services such as Sydney and Melbourne.
Meanwhile, as Qantas looks at new ways of expanding its reach into Europe, the carrier’s Group recently confirmed additional access into South America through a new code share agreement between Jetstar and LAN.
As part of the agreement, Jetstar will add its code to LAN flights between Oceania and Santiago in Chile. In exchange, LAN will add its code to select Jetstar services around Australia and New Zealand. Click here for more information.
