Qantas flights out of Australia will no longer stop in Dubai, with the daily Sydney to London route going via Singapore instead.
With Melbourne to London flights already flying via Perth and then non-stop to Europe, the March 2018 move means passengers will say goodbye to Dubai.
The shake-up is a response to growing demand in Asia, as the airline increases capacity on the Melbourne to Singapore route.
Qantas flights out of Australia will no longer stop in Dubai, with the daily Sydney to London route going via Singapore (pictured, stock image) instead
The shake-up is a response to growing demand in Asia, as Qantas (pictured, stock image) increases capacity on the Melbourne to Singapore route
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce announced last week the airline is hoping to eliminate Australia to Europe stopovers altogether by 2022, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Codeshare partner Emirates operates 77 flights to Europe, the Middle East and Africa via its Dubai hub, meaning Qantas jets are not required to fly there.
‘That means we can redirect some of our A380 flying into Singapore and meet the strong demand we’re seeing in Asia,’ said Mr Joyce.
Qantas and Emirates have applied to extend their alliance deal by five years.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce (pictured, stock image) announced last week the airline is hoping to eliminate Australia to Europe stopovers altogether by 2022
With Melbourne to London flights already flying via Perth and then non-stop to Europe, the March 2018 move means passengers will say goodbye to Dubai (pictured, stock image)
The reshuffle towards Asia comes as total inbound and outbound flight capacity in the 2017 financial year increased by 8.5 per cent.
Mr Joyce is asking aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to produce passenger planes capable of flying from Sydney to London.
He says such jets are almost possible already, and expects technological leaps to enable direct flights by 2020.
‘This is the last frontier in global aviation, this is the antidote to the tyranny of distance and a revolution for air travel in Australia,’ he said.
‘A direct flight would cut up to four hours of the travel journey time direct to London, removing the need for stops midway means your journey is uninterrupted.’
Mr Joyce is asking aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to produce passenger planes capable of flying from Sydney to London (pictured, stock image)