One of the worst-kept secrets is Qantas’ interest in launching flights to Paris from Perth.
The city on the west coast of Australia has been a gateway for nonstop flights from Australia to Europe, with Rome and London featuring. Now, Qantas wants to expand upon that; however, there are concerns around the airport.
Project Sunrise for Qantas is described as the final frontier of international travel. It will see Qantas connect cities such as Sydney to London and Sydney to New York with Airbus A350s. However, as the airline cannot complete such missions, the Boeing 787 and Perth remain critical points for the company.
From a successful Perth to London service and Rome-Fiumicino, confirmed to return this year, Qantas wants to fly to Paris. The comments were revealed on 6PR Perth. CEO Alan Joyce says discussions are ongoing about how this could be made possible. Talks with Air France are also taking place as the Australian airline figures out a way to make this possible.
Perth Airport is one of Qantas’s most favourable and frustrating Australian airports. It offers them a wealth of opportunities in terms of international routes, especially for nonstop flights to Europe. However, capacity constraints in Perth have long limited Australian airlines. Bottleneck issues with the facilities prevent the airline from expanding. These issues have already caused the suspension of existing services to an Asian city, Jakarta and service to Johannesburg in South Africa.
The airline will welcome additional Boeing 787s in the coming months while will open up new possibilities. However, capacity constraints remain a central problem.
