Qantas has added a new Pacific destination to its itinerary, with the airline set to launch direct flights to Palau.
The national carrier will operate weekly flights from Brisbane to the paradise getaway, which is made up of a cluster of more than 300 islands 1,500 kilometres east of the Philippines.
The six-hour flights are expected to go on sale in the ‘coming weeks’, before the first flights depart in the ‘coming months’.
Nauru Airlines launched its own direct flights from Brisbane to Palau earlier this year.
The new route was one of several announcements made by the airline on Wednesday as it added and removed flights to and from its range.
Qantas will drop its Sydney-Seoul route from 14 June next year and instead drop the Sydney-Seoul route, which will increase the number of flights.
Qantas will operate weekly flights from Brisbane to Palau, a cluster of more than 300 islands 1,500 kilometres east of the Philippines.
“One of the benefits of our dual-brand strategy is the flexibility we have with our combined Qantas and Jetstar fleets,” said Cam Wallace, Qantas Group International CEO.
“Qantas launched flights to Seoul after the pandemic and as demand normalised it has grown significantly as a leisure market, which presents a great opportunity for Jetstar to increase frequencies and allow Qantas to redeploy its aircraft to other routes where we see strong demand.”
Qantas will also offer 30 per cent more premium seats on its A380s flying to the US.
“The A380 has always been a favourite with passengers, so it’s great news that Qantas is bringing it back to its Sydney to Dallas route, and the increased capacity will provide more choice for passengers travelling to and from the US,” said Greg Botham, CEO of Sydney Airport Group. .
Boeing 787 Dreamliners will fly from Brisbane to Los Angeles, creating more seating options for travellers.
Qantas will also debut its 137-seat A220 aircraft in March 2025, as the airline gradually phases out its Boeing 717s.
The aircraft will be used for flights between Darwin and Singapore.
The sweeping changes mean Qantas will offer an additional 220,000 seats across its international network over 12 months from February.
“These developments underline our commitment to supporting the growth of airlines and passenger opportunities at Australia’s global gateway,” Botham said.