Qantas is shaking up its international network from February, announcing a series of changes that affect service to the US, Asia and the Pacific
The changes will see some shuffling of aircraft types as it brings additional A380s back into service. In addition, the changes see the first A220 service.
Overall, Qantas will be operating an additional 220,000 seats per year across its network. The changes see extra capacity to the US, a boost to the Darwin-Singapore service, and a Brisbane-Palau service.
However, it may not be all good news. The changes see the current Sydney – Seoul services switching from Qantas to Jetstar.
In explaining this change, Qantas Group International CEO, Cam Wallace said
One of the benefits of our dual brand strategy is the flexibility we have with our combined Qantas and Jetstar fleets.
Qantas launched flights to Seoul after the pandemic, and now that demand has normalised, it’s grown substantially as a leisure market, opening up a great opportunity for Jetstar to increase its frequencies and allow Qantas to redeploy its aircraft to other routes where we are seeing strong demand.
More seats to the United States
The big winners from the changes are those travelling to the US. Qantas will be boosting capacity to the United States by 13 per cent and offering 30 per cent more premium seats. This will come about as Qantas returns more A380s to the network from next August.
For those travelling out of Brisbane, the 787 Dreamliner will begin to make an appearance. That said, while it will remain a daily service, the A330 service will continue to operate on some days. As a result of moving to the 787, Qantas will be able to offer Premium Economy and more seats overall. There are some that prefer Economy on the A330 over the 787, and that option will remain.
A220 to operate Darwin to Singapore route
Qantas has now said that the new Darwin to Singapore route will be operated by the new QantasLink Airbus A220 service. This will mark the first international route for the A220.
It had been planned to use Embraer E190 aircraft to operate this service, however, Qantas have now opted for the larger aircraft.
New route from Brisbane to Palau
The national carrier has also today announced it will add Palau to its map for the first time, operating weekly flights from Brisbane to the Pacific Island with its 737 aircraft.
The service, known as the ‘Palau Paradise Express’ will operate as part of a contract awarded to Qantas by the Federal Government and will help maintain strong trade and tourism links between Australia and Palau.
Wait, where’s Palau?
Palau is an island country sitting in the Micronesian area of the West Pacific. While it is described as an island country, it consists of about 340 islands and sits east of the Philippines. It’s a small island country. having a population of around 18,000. Its main claim to fame as a tourist destination is the diving and snorkelling experience it offers.
Summary of network changes
| Route | Change | Timing |
| United States | ||
| Melbourne-Dallas | Flights to increase from three to four per week. | 6 February 2025 |
| Sydney-New York (via Auckland) | Flights to reduce from six to five per week. | 6 February 2025 |
| Brisbane-Los Angeles | Boeing 787 Dreamliner to return to the route, more than doubling premium seat capacity and offering customers the additional choice of Premium Economy. Daily flights to be operated by a mix of A330 and 787 aircraft. | 11 August 2025 |
| Sydney-Dallas | A380 to resume on the route for the first time since pre-COVID. Daily flights to be operated by a mix of A380 and 787 aircraft. | 11 August 2025 |
| Asia | ||
| Sydney-Seoul | Qantas to cease flights. Jetstar to increase flights from four per week to daily from June, a 4 per cent increase in seats on the route. | 14 June 2025 |
| Darwin-Singapore | Route to launch with new QantasLink A220 aircraft, operating five days per week. Previously scheduled to be operated by the E190, the aircraft change offers more than 50 additional seats on the route each week. | 30 March 2025 |
| Tasman and the Pacific | ||
| Brisbane-Auckland | 787 to be introduced on the route for the first time, operating alongside 737 and A330 flights, a 40 per cent increase in premium seats on the route each year. | 11 August 2025 |
| Brisbane-Noumea | Flights to resume after they were temporarily suspended in April, increasing from one to up to two per week, with the Embraer E190 aircraft operating on the route for the first time. | 14 December 2024 |
| Brisbane – Palau | Weekly flights to be operated by Qantas’ B737 aircraft. | Expected to launch in the coming months |
