Qantas’ direct Perth to Paris flight temporarily axed as airline makes changes to Europe routes amid Iran war
Qantas has made major changes to some of its most popular international routes as demand for flights to Europe soars amid the Iran war.
In its most drastic change, the country’s largest airline has temporarily rerouted its direct flight from Perth to Paris, opting instead to depart Sydney and transit via Singapore.
The new route will now be flown five times a week (up from the usual three) and will allow an additional 60 passengers to travel to Europe on each flight.
But in great news for Perth travellers, Qantas has increased its flights from Perth to Rome; It now flies every day instead of four times a week.
Flights from Perth to Singapore will also increase from once a day to 10 flights a week, connecting to Qantas’ flights from Singapore to Paris.
Qantas will continue to operate its daily Perth to London service via Singapore, while the return flight from London to Perth will operate direct.
The airline said the changes were a direct response to the ongoing repercussions in the Middle East and its impact on global air travel.
“Qantas is adjusting its international schedule to redeploy some aircraft to operate more flights between Australia and Europe, in response to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and very strong demand,” the airline said.
The updated schedule will gradually come into force for flights starting from mid-April and will continue until the end of July.
The adjustments were made possible by the reallocation of several Boeing 787 aircraft from US routes and the shifting of some A330s from domestic services to international operations.
The airline said it would contact all customers affected by the schedule changes and offer them the option of alternative flights or a refund within 24 hours of the original departure time.
Qantas added that it is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, especially fuel security, global fuel prices and potential impacts on travel demand, and will make further changes to its program if necessary.
