Qantas has added more than 60 flights to Sydney and Melbourne around the seven concerts Swift will play in Australia’s two largest cities in February next year, to meet demand for attendees travelling from elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand.
The additions to the schedule include 24 new flights between Sydney and Melbourne, 20 flights between Adelaide and Sydney or Melbourne, six Perth-Sydney flights, eight flights from Christchurch to Sydney or Melbourne and eight flights from Wellington to Sydney or Melbourne.
The flights were announced in response to a huge rise in demand for flights around the concert dates in the week that tickets to the stadium shows went on sale.
“Our forward bookings showed a swift rise in demand for flights to Sydney and Melbourne next February, with a 1,500 per cent increase in domestic bookings last week compared to the same period last year,” said a Qantas spokesperson last Friday.
Accor has also reported a large increase in interest in its hotels in Sydney for next February, with early booking demand up 180 per cent.
Swift will play her Sydney dates at Accor Stadium where she also played during her last Australian tour in 2018, when it was known as ANZ Stadium.
Between the Sydney and Melbourne shows, hundreds of thousands of tickets were made available – and sold out – at the end of June, with the MCG having capacity for around 100,000 spectators, while Accor Stadium’s capacity is 83,500. Nearly 73,000 tickets were available for Swift’s last concert at the Sydney stadium in 2018.
The tour could also be a boon for Australia’s events industry, with local gear and staff likely to be called upon for the concerts.
