Qantas Resumes Flights To Rome

Qantas has officially resumed seasonal flights to Rome in Italy with its Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Service to Rome will operate thrice weekly from Australia’s west coast of Perth, the gateway to nonstop flights to Europe, thanks to the 787s capabilities.

In 2023, Qantas said that linking Perth and Rome on a nonstop flight has several fantastic benefits, such as boosting the company’s diversity of routes. Furthermore, for Australians and or Italians, it provides a great avenue to connect the two countries that have seen such high levels of migration.

For Western Australians, the service helps support local jobs, including a focus on the tourism sector, which will benefit from a new market being reached.

Rome joining the airline’s network for the busy summer schedule comes weeks before Qantas commences scheduled service to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Flights to Paris will begin in time for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games with a July 12 launch and four weekly flights.

The Australian flag carrier has been considering expanding into Europe. However, restrictions around available aircraft, paired with long-standing but now seemingly resolved difficulties with Perth Airport, prevented expansion.

All these recent changes are important in enabling the airline to offer more than 75,000 additional seats every year to and from Europe.

Qantas has recently faced increased competition from several European companies for services, especially following the global pandemic.

Middle Eastern companies such as Qatar Airways and the always ambitious Emirates have increased their frequencies into major Australian cities, offering a greater pathway to Europe thanks to their network.

While these other airlines, even including the recent addition of Turkish Airlines from Turkey, have increased their presence, Qantas hasn’t been able to respond in the same manner.

Through several recent aircraft purchases for more widebodies, Qantas hopes to be ready by the 2030s. However, it must also emphasise replacement efforts across the fleet as it looks to farewell several ageing widebody jets.