The first nonstop flights between Australia and France will commence on 12 July next year, with Qantas announcing its return to Paris after nearly two decades.
On sale now, the new route will see Perth and Paris initially linked with four weekly flights during the European summer – and for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games – before moving to three flights per week from mid-August 2024.
Qantas will utilise its B787 Dreamliner aircraft on the year-round route, which joins the flying kangaroo’s other direct flights from Perth to London and Rome – currently the only nonstops Australia and Europe.
The journey is expected to take around 17 hours each way, reducing the current fastest travel time between the Western Australian and French capitals by around three hours.
With a “circle fare,” Qantas passengers can also fly to Paris and return to Australia from either London or Rome using a single ticket.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the Perth-Paris service had been “on our wish list for a while and we think customers will be as pleased as we are to see it go on sale today”.
“Our direct flights to London and Rome have been hugely popular and Paris is the next most-requested destination, so we know the demand for this service will be strong as well,” she said.
“Some of the first customers on these flights will be Australian athletes heading to Paris to compete at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We’re the only airline offering these direct flights rather than going through a mid-point because the key market we serve is Australia. Our in-flight service is designed with long-haul travel in mind.”
Tourism boost
Hudson said the new route would add more than 75,000 seats between Australia and Europe each year “and we’ll be working with Tourism WA to help make the most of the opportunity to bring tourists here, knowing that direct flights are a big factor in people deciding where to travel”.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said the new service enhances WA’s position as an important Aussie gateway.
“Securing new direct aviation services like this is absolutely vital to drive travellers to Western Australia, inject visitor spend into our economy and create jobs in the tourism and hospitality industries,” he stated.
The new flights will be serviced through Qantas’ current terminal at Perth Airport, Terminal 3, facilitating connections to various domestic destinations within Australia. According to Qantas, the airline and airport are getting closer to a deal that would see Qantas move its operations to Terminal 1.
Ex-Perth Qantas passengers can connect to more than 12 destinations within France and 70 destinations across the region through airline partners.
Launch fares start from $1,899 from Perth and are available until 2 November unless sold out prior.
Qantas flights to Europe:
- QF9/QF10 Perth-London (787)
- QF5/QF6 Perth-Rome (787)
- QF33/QF34 Perth-Paris (787)
- QF1/QF2 Sydney-Singapore-London (A380)
Capacity AND fares grow
On Sunday, Qantas resumed its Sydney-Shanghai service, marking the flying roo’s return to mainland China and the last piece of the puzzle for the resumption of QF’s pre-pandemic ports.
Last week, the carrier also announced it will launch non-stop flights between Sydney and Port Moresby, with two return services per week operating Monday and Friday.
Overall, the Qantas Group’s international capacity is set to rise to over 90 per cent of pre-COVID levels by year-end and is projected to fully recover by mid-next year thanks largely to the recent introduction of new aircraft.
On Friday, Qantas and Jetstar increased airfares by an average 3.5 per cent and three per cent respectively as the cost of fuel skyrockets amid conflict in the Middle East.
