Qantas Restarts Perth-Rome Seasonal Service, Commits To Fly Route Again In 2024

Qantas has brought back its seasonal service between Perth Airport (PER) and Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) for a second consecutive year.

The Australian flag-carrier has also committed to operating the route next year, as well.

The PER-FCO service is now being flown 3X-weekly with a Boeing 787 aircraft through Oct. 3. The Oneworld airline is already planning to bring back the seasonal route again in 2024. “Strong customer demand for our long-haul international routes has given us the confidence to commit to a third season [for the PER-FCO route] in 2024,” Qantas International CEO Cameron Wallace says in a statement.

He adds: “Our Perth-Rome route was one of the most popular across our international network last year, and bookings show that it’s shaping to be that way again. We also saw many customers using Rome as a gateway to continental Europe, connecting onwards with our network of partners, with Sicily, Athens and Barcelona being amongst the top destinations last year.”

The route marks the third international service Qantas is operating from PER. The carrier conducts year-round daily flights from PER to both London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). The LHR route is operated with a 787, while the SIN service is flown with an Airbus A330.

Perth is the capital of the state of Western Australia. “The resumption of what has proved to be a very popular flight [PER-FCO] has obvious economic and cultural benefits for our state,” Western Australia Premier Roger Cook says in a statement. “Linking Perth and Rome with direct flights enables us to deliver on our strategy to diversify our economy and support jobs across a range of sectors, including tourism and hospitality.”

The airline says it expects to reach full pre-pandemic international capacity levels by March 2024. Qantas is currently operating about 85% of its pre-pandemic international capacity. The carrier notes it was operating only 45% of pre-pandemic international capacity a year ago, in June 2022.

Qantas earlier this month resumed flights between Sydney Airport and New York John F. Kennedy after a hiatus of more than three years, using Auckland as a new stopover point instead of Los Angeles.