The former South African Airways route looks set to be taken over by the Flying Kangaroo.
Qantas hopes to begin flying between Perth and Johannesburg from November 1, pending a final round of discussions with Perth Airport and the usual “subject to Government approval” caveat.
The Flying Kangaroo has long harboured ambitions to take on the 11 hour trek, and the absence of beleaguered South African Airways since early 2020 has only strengthened the route’s appeal.
A preliminary listing for the Perth-Johannesburg flights has now appeared in the reservation system used by travel agents, and sighted by Executive Traveller, although seats are not yet available for sale.
This listing shows the following schedule:
QF65 would depart Perth at noon, to reach Johannesburg at 5.15pm the same day
QF66 would be wheels-up from Johannesburg at 7.20pm, arriving into Perth at 11.15am the following day
The flights will run three days a week on an Airbus A330 with 27 business suites and 224 economy seats, but no premium economy.
Qantas remains steadfast in its intent to have the flights depart from the same international wing of its Perth T3 terminal as used by non-stop services to London and Rome.
Ahead the return flight to Perth, lounge-worthy passengers would have access to British Airways’ Johannesburg lounge, which the Oneworld member describes as incorporating “the best of British and South African design.”
Approached by Executive Traveller for comment, a Qantas spokesman said “Qantas is always looking at new routes and Perth-Johannesburg is one we’ve had our eye on for some time.”
“There are still a some hurdles we need to clear, including coming to an agreement with Perth Airport, before we would be confident we could make this route a success.”
Qantas initially hoped to challenge SAA on the Perth-Johannesburg route in late 2018, with four direct Airbus A330 flights a week running on a seasonal basis from November-March.
However, in June 2018 the airline revealed it had scrapped those plans due to ongoing disputes with Perth Airport – particularly with regard to Qantas' desire to run its Perth flights from the international wing of its integrated T3/T4 hub, rather than Perth's dedicated T1 international terminal used by other airlines.
This would streamline connection for Qantas' domestic passengers flying to Perth to make the journey to Johannesburg, and remove the need for aircraft to be towed between the domestic and international terminals.
“We’re very keen on South Africa (and) we think it's a good growth opportunity for us,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce told the Reuters Next online forum in early 2021.
“And if we can resolve our dispute with Perth Airport, we will start the Perth-Jo’burg service, which is on our list of new routes, and we think that will be very successful,” he added.
That drawn-out dispute with Perth Airport over fees levied on the airline has since been put to rest, with airport CEO Kevin Brown earlier this year saying it was time to “put the Qantas planes back up in the sky and flying to new destinations.”
A spokesman for Perth Airport said today “we are happy to continue discussions with Qantas about a potential Johannesburg service.”
Qantas resumed flights from Sydney to Johannesburg in January, with a Boeing 787 taking over from the now-retired Boeing 747 jumbo jet.
Source: Executive Traveller