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Qantas has unveiled the first overseas destination for its new A220-300s as it plans to add 220,000 seats to its international network over 12 months.
Darwin–Singapore, slated to launch in December using Embraer E190s, will launch in March 2025 using the A220s instead. The news comes as Qantas rolls out a new route from Brisbane to Palau, alters some key routes to the US and Asia-Pacific, and brings two A380s back into service.
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A new weekly “Palau Paradise Express” service will launch using Qantas’ 737 fleet in the coming months, as part of a contract between Qantas and the Australian government.
Qantas will also resume flights from Brisbane–Noumea with E190s starting December after suspending them in April, increasing from one to two per week, and add the 787-9 to Brisbane–Auckland services alongside the 737-800 and A330 from August.
Additionally, the Flying Kangaroo will boost seats to the US by 13 per cent over the course of 2025 and cease its service to Seoul next June, with Jetstar increasing to daily services from Sydney to the South Korean capital.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the QantasLink A220s will be the first of their kind to operate from Singapore, and that the changes are about “having the right aircraft on the right route and responding to growing customer demand”.
“We’re also looking forward to seeing more of our A380s return to the skies and offering more premium seats for customers to book to some of our popular international destinations,” 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.
“This growth is good news for our people and also allows us to offer more choice for our customers travelling around the Qantas network.”
Qantas received its fourth A220-300, VH-X4D, last month, with a fifth expected to arrive in November.
The 137-seater A220s are gradually replacing QantasLink’s ageing Boeing 717 fleet, and offer a greater range and better fuel efficiency as well as cabin improvements including larger windows, more overhead locker space, and more comfortable economy seating compared to the 717.
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says:Great news for Darwin. I do wonder though, why with a number of E190s based at Darwin Airport, there is not a daily service to Denpasar rather than a 3 times per week Jetstar operation. I would have thought that it would offer a more efficient use of aircraft that will almost certainly be filled each flight, plus offer premium paying passengers a more comfortable flight given the normal transit times to and from Darwin.
Ian Becker
says:Good Old Qantas thinking we all want to fly JQ, when so many do not!