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Qantas has officially restarted its route from Brisbane to Manila after a decade-long break.
The first QF97 service took off from Brisbane shortly before 10pm on Monday night aboard the A330-200 VH-EBG (similar aircraft pictured), and will operate four times per week. The route is expected to add more than 100,000 annual seats between Australia and the Philippines.
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The reinstated Brisbane service complements the Flying Kangaroo’s existing daily route from Sydney to Manila and will add to what is already more than 300,000 Qantas seats to and from the Philippines every year.
Qantas next year will mark its 75th anniversary of passenger services to the Southeast Asian country.
“The Philippines is a very strong market for Qantas and we are pleased to be responding to demand for our services with new flights from Brisbane,” said Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace.
“We know a lot of customers travel to Manila via Sydney, so this new direct flight will make it easier and faster for Queenslanders to get to the Philippines in a single hop.”
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said the route “further strengthens Brisbane Airport’s connections into Southeast Asia”.
“The Philippines is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a key trading partner for Queensland,” he said.
“With our state home to a vibrant Filipino community, the business and tourism opportunities generated by this expanded connectivity will no doubt be a success.”
At the same time, Qantas has increased its existing Brisbane–Singapore service from seven to nine return flights per week, with the new flights timed to improve connectivity with the airline’s daily Singapore–London route.
The news comes as Qantas has rolled out a new route from Brisbane to Palau.
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, it is replacing E190s with 737s on its Brisbane–Wellington services, adding more than 600 weekly seats, as well as seasonally increasing Brisbane–Apia flights from three to five per week until mid-January, adding more than 300 weekly seats.
