On Sunday, the first Qantas flight between Perth and Johannesburg took off.
The service will operate three times a week, offering more than 750 seats in each direction every week.
A new Perth-Auckland service also landed its first flight in Perth on Sunday morning, with the first flight in the other direction taking off today.
Like the Perth-Johannesburg route, Perth-Auckland services will operate three times a week in each direction, delivering 753 weekly seats each way.
“Today marks a significant milestone for Perth as our direct service to Johannesburg takes off and we welcome the arrival of the first direct flight from Auckland,” said Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace yesterday.
“The response from customers since we announced these routes in May has been terrific.
“Today’s inaugural flight to Johannesburg is almost full and we’re seeing positive forward bookings, so we know there is strong appetite for direct travel between the West and South Africa, as well as Auckland.
“These routes unlock more options and greater choice for all Australians to connect to the world through our growing network, including to popular cities like Cape Town through our partnership with Airlink in South Africa and for West Australians to New York via Auckland.”
Today Qantas also announced it would bring back international services on the airline to the Gold Coast for the first time in nearly five years, with a Gold Coast-Auckland service to start on June 16, 2026, subject to approvals.
The Gold Coast to Auckland services will operate three times a week, delivering more than 52,000 seats per year across the Tasman, and will be the only business class offering between the two destinations.
“The return of Qantas international flights from the Gold Coast is welcome news for our city and tourism industry,” said Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn.
“The announcement by Australia’s long running and iconic airline is testament to the strong aviation attraction collaboration between the airport and Experience Gold Coast and the continued growth in international visitation to the city, and in particular the strength of the New Zealand market.
“217,000 Kiwis chose to visit the Gold Coast in the year ending June 2025 and the new Qantas service between the Gold Coast and Auckland will make it even easier to cross the ditch and experience the best of our destination.”
