Qantas has capped a record-breaking year of network growth by unveiling two new international routes from its western hub: Perth–Auckland and Perth–Johannesburg, both commencing in December 2025. Announced on 21 December and available for booking ‘today’, each service will operate three times weekly on Airbus A330 aircraft offering lie-flat business-class seats.
The decision was made possible after the Federal Government allocated additional funding to the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to boost staffing and biosecurity facilities at Perth Airport. The investment removes a key bottleneck that had limited the airport’s processing capacity for additional long-haul flights.
For corporates, the routes slash transit times between Western Australia and two of its largest trading partners. Direct Johannesburg flights will cut at least four hours off the typical one-stop itinerary to South Africa’s commercial capital, while the Auckland link plugs straight into onward services to New York via Qantas’ trans-Pacific partner network. The carrier expects the pair of routes to add 155,000 seats a year and generate new jobs across aviation, tourism and freight handling.
![Qantas Adds Perth–Auckland and Perth–Johannesburg Routes, Backed by Extra Border Resources]()
International travellers eager to ride these new nonstop links can streamline their visa needs with VisaHQ. The platform lets Australian residents check entry requirements for New Zealand, South Africa and hundreds of other destinations, complete applications online and monitor status updates in real time—ideal for both individual flyers and corporate travel managers. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
Travel-management companies should update preferred-carrier agreements ahead of the northern-winter schedule change, while mobility teams may wish to brief employees on Perth Airport’s changed terminal arrangements as renovation works continue. The extra ABF resources should, in theory, keep peak-season processing times stable, but risk managers are advised to monitor implementation during the first weeks of operation.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the announcement underscores Perth’s growing role as a “second gateway” for Australia-Africa and Australia-New Zealand traffic. The airline also confirmed that its final A380 will re-enter service on the Sydney–Dallas route from January 2026, freeing up additional wide-body capacity elsewhere on the network.
The decision was made possible after the Federal Government allocated additional funding to the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to boost staffing and biosecurity facilities at Perth Airport. The investment removes a key bottleneck that had limited the airport’s processing capacity for additional long-haul flights.
For corporates, the routes slash transit times between Western Australia and two of its largest trading partners. Direct Johannesburg flights will cut at least four hours off the typical one-stop itinerary to South Africa’s commercial capital, while the Auckland link plugs straight into onward services to New York via Qantas’ trans-Pacific partner network. The carrier expects the pair of routes to add 155,000 seats a year and generate new jobs across aviation, tourism and freight handling.
International travellers eager to ride these new nonstop links can streamline their visa needs with VisaHQ. The platform lets Australian residents check entry requirements for New Zealand, South Africa and hundreds of other destinations, complete applications online and monitor status updates in real time—ideal for both individual flyers and corporate travel managers. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
Travel-management companies should update preferred-carrier agreements ahead of the northern-winter schedule change, while mobility teams may wish to brief employees on Perth Airport’s changed terminal arrangements as renovation works continue. The extra ABF resources should, in theory, keep peak-season processing times stable, but risk managers are advised to monitor implementation during the first weeks of operation.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the announcement underscores Perth’s growing role as a “second gateway” for Australia-Africa and Australia-New Zealand traffic. The airline also confirmed that its final A380 will re-enter service on the Sydney–Dallas route from January 2026, freeing up additional wide-body capacity elsewhere on the network.
