Australian flag carrier, Qantas has announced it will return its Perth – Singapore route as part of a number of improvements for West Australian travellers.
From June 26, 2015, the airline will operate five-weekly services between Perth and Singapore, with Boeing 737 aircraft, offering a total of almost 1,700 seats between the two cities.
“We know how important it is for West Australian business travellers to have seamless access to Asia so we’re delighted to be able to offer the Perth-Singapore route with a schedule and aircraft type that will make it commercially viable,” said Gareth Evans, Chief Executive Officer.
The service from Perth will arrive into Singapore at 17:20pm, allowing passengers to connect with Qantas partners into key regional Asian destinations including Tokyo, Shanghai and Delhi, subject to regulatory approval.
“We know how important it is for West Australian business travellers to have seamless access to Asia so we’re delighted to be able to offer the Perth-Singapore route with a schedule and aircraft type that will make it commercially viable,” Mr Evans said.
The service has been made available through the Qantas Group’s aircraft utilisation program which sees the airline assigning the “right” aircraft to the right route, and matching schedules with customer demand.
Qantas is also set to open its new domestic Business Lounge which has capacity for more than 350 customers later this year, which will coincide with the airline’s increasing domestic services.
The airline has added an additional two weekly return services between Perth and Brisbane, bringing the total to 30 flights between the two cities per week. Qantas’ fifth reconfigured A330 aircraft featuring the new business suite will enter service operating into Perth from Brisbane.
The Qantas Group will also introduce F100 aircraft on some services from Perth to Port Hedland, Karratha, Newman and Broome later this year.
“Two F100 aircraft have been purchased to operate these services by Qantas Group airline Network Aviation taking their fleet of the type to 14 and position it better to respond to the changing dynamics and frequency needs of the resources market,” Mr Evans said.
Qantas initially ended its regular Perth to Singapore service in May 2014, and has operated seasonal services between the two cities during peak holiday periods. For the third year in a row, the airline will operate a seasonal link between Perth and Auckland between October 2015, and April 2016.
Qantas will be in direct competition with Jetstar Asia who currently operate 13 flights between Perth and Singapore each week.