Qantas and Emirates have won the right to continue a joint business on routes between Australia, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today re-authorised the partnership until 2023.
Continuation of the joint business, announced last August, will deliver expanded services, greater schedule choice and increased frequent flyer benefits.
The joint network was first established in 2013 and provides three hubs for passengers flying between the UK and Australia at Dubai, Singapore and Perth.
A number of changes are introduced this weekend.
An Airbus A380 superjumbo will operate Sydney–London via Singapore from Sunday, replacing one existing Sydney–Singapore A330 service. A second Sydney–Singapore daily service will continue to be operated by an A330.
At the same time, one daily Melbourne–Singapore service will be upgraded from an A330 to an A380, with a second three times a frequency increased to a daily A330 service.
The first non-stop Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Perth to Heathrow will depart on Saturday. The Dreamliner seats 236 passengers in a three-class configuration with 42 business suites, 28 premium economy and 166 economy.
Qantas International chief executive, Alison Webster, said: “The ACCC’s re-authorisation of our joint business is an important milestone in helping us continue to deliver benefits for travellers and Australian tourism for the next five years.
“The evolution of our partnership reflects changes in customer demand and will allow us to leverage the latest aircraft technology and maximise new routes.
“With three options to get to Europe; via Perth, Singapore and Dubai, and greater frequency across the Tasman, the ACCC’s decision allows us to continue to jointly provide the best network, the best service and the best frequent flyer programs for millions of customers travelling between Australia/New Zealand and the UK and Europe.”
Emirates’ chief commercial officer Thierry Antinori added: “We look forward to progressing on the plans that will take our successful partnership to its next phase. Together, we offer travellers access to even more destinations on our joint network, more convenient flight choices, and frequent flyer benefits.
“Over the next five years, we will continue to work closely with our partner Qantas to deliver benefits for our customers, for Australia’s air transport connectivity, and for both airlines.”
Western Australia tourism minister Paul Papalia, welcoming the new 17-hour non-stop service, said: “Visitors from the UK will be able to fly non-stop to Perth with Qantas using the latest in aviation technology.
“The direct flights have the potential to change the way people travel between Europe and Australia and give us the opportunity to sell Perth and Western Australia as the place to start a holiday in Australia.”
Flight Centre head of aviation Justin Penny said: “The new route has already prompted a huge amount of interest for destinations that previously would have until now taken more than one stop to reach in Australia, such as Alice Springs and Broome. It truly has opened up the whole of Australia to the UK market.
“Flight Centre definitely feels that long term the new route is viable and we will see additional services being launched from Europe to Australia in the coming years.”
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