Qantas hooks up continents — non‑stop from Perth to Johannesburg and Auckland now in the skies

Australia’s flagship carrier Qantas this week officially launched two new non‑stop international routes from its Western Australia hub, Perth Airport (PER), to Johannesburg in South Africa and Auckland in New Zealand.

• The inaugural Perth→Johannesburg flight (QF65) departed on 7 December 2025.
• The first Perth→Auckland service (QF111) followed on 8 December 2025.

The move marks the biggest single expansion of Perth’s international network in years — adding more than 150,000 new seats annually and placing the city more firmly on the global map.

Details of the routes: times, aircraft and what’s on offer

Both routes are operated using Qantas’ reliable Airbus A330 aircraft, a workhorse for medium‑long‑haul flights.

Perth ↔ Johannesburg

• Flight time: ~ 11 hours 15 minutes.
• Schedule: three flights per week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday).
• Capacity: 27 business class seats (1‑2‑1 lie‑flat configuration) and 224 economy seats.
• Strategic value: First nonstop passenger link between Perth and continental Africa, creating a direct “trans‑Indian Ocean corridor”.

Perth ↔ Auckland

• Flight time: ~ 6 hours 45 minutes.
• Schedule: three flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday).
• Same A330 configuration as Johannesburg route.

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the company expects strong demand for both routes, especially during the Australian summer peak season.

Why now — and why from Perth

The reopening of these direct routes reflects Qantas’ evolving long‑haul strategy and a calculated push to strengthen Perth as a “western international gateway.”

For decades, air travel between Western Australia and South Africa required a stopover in Sydney, the Middle East or Asia. Now, the Perth→Johannesburg flight slashes travel time by more than six hours compared with typical one‑stop itineraries.

Meanwhile, the Perth‑Auckland link revives trans‑Tasman connectivity from WA — a convenience for business travellers, backpackers, and families, and a new option beyond the traditional eastern‑Australia hubs.

The expansion is part of a broader push: Qantas and the Government of Western Australia are working to boost tourism, business ties and international access for the state — and these routes bring tens of thousands of additional inbound seats annually. Western Australian Government+1

What it means for travellers — flexibility, business and tourism

For travellers based on the WA side or with business and family ties in South Africa or New Zealand, the new non‑stop flights are a game‑changer:

• Time saved: no more stopovers or connection anxieties — Perth to Johannesburg in ~11h, Perth to Auckland under 7h.
• Comfort: modern A330s with lie‑flat business class and full economy layout meet long‑haul expectations.
• Connectivity: From Johannesburg, travellers can connect to other African cities (Cape Town, Durban, Maputo) via partner airline links.
• Holiday & migration potential: For WA’s large South African and Kiwi diaspora, the flights simplify family visits, relocation, or travel for work, study or leisure.
• Tourism boost: Easier access may increase inbound tourism to WA — benefiting regional tourism, hospitality, and related industries.

Qantas spokesman said bookings already exceed 80% load factors through February, with launch fares and marketing likely accelerating demand.

Bigger picture — Perth’s growing role on the world aviation map

This expansion cements Perth’s status as Australia’s increasingly important “western gateway.” With these routes, the city now enjoys direct links not only to Europe and the UK (via existing London, Paris, Rome flights) but also to parts of Africa and New Zealand — covering three continents.

For Qantas, this move reflects a post-COVID rebound and long-term ambition: diversify routes beyond the traditional east‑coast‑centric model, capture demand from Western Australia’s booming resource, business, and growing population, and offer global connectivity that’s competitive in time and convenience.

For the aviation industry, the successful launch could encourage other carriers to consider alternative long‑haul routes from non‑metropolitan hubs — reshaping how global air travel connects with regions outside traditional “gateway” cities.

What to watch — early feedback and potential challenges

As with any new route, a few factors will shape how stable — or transformative — this expansion becomes:

• Sustained demand: Whether load‑factors remain high beyond the summer launch period. So far Qantas is optimistic, but economic factors, cost of living, fuel prices, and exchange rates could affect long‑term viability.
• Competition: Other international carriers (from Middle East or Asia) may respond with competitive fares or timed connections.
• Operational capacity: Perth Airport must handle increased international traffic pressure — border control, biosecurity (especially for arrivals from Africa), baggage and logistics, infrastructure readiness. Local government says border services staffing and facilities have been enhanced to support this.
• Sustainability and carbon cost: Long‑haul flights over 8,000 km raise environmental concerns, an issue increasingly on travellers’ and regulators’ radar.

Final verdict — a milestone for Perth, Qantas and travellers

With the first jets now in the air on these long‑awaited routes, Qantas has not just launched flights — it has reoriented air travel patterns, offering a bridge between Western Australia, Africa and New Zealand that didn’t exist non‑stop until now.

For Western Australians: faster holidays, easier business trips, simpler reunions. For Qantas: a strategic expansion, greater network diversity, and a show of confidence in Perth as a global hub.

If demand holds and the world remains open, these flights may be remembered as a turning point — when Perth truly arrived as an international gateway, not just to Europe, but to the wider world.