Qantas Airways, Australia’s flag carrier and the world’s second oldest airline, has announced significant enhancements to its international network, which include the introduction of new aircraft, additional routes, and schedule changes to meet the growing demand across key markets in the Asia Pacific and the United States. 

In a press statement, Qantas says that over the course of 2025, the airline plans to add approximately 220,000 seats to its international routes, bolstered by the arrival of more next-generation aircraft and the return of its Airbus A380s.

The statement adds that one major highlight is the launch of a new weekly service from Brisbane to Palau, a Pacific Island destination known for its stunning marine life, which will begin in the coming months. 

It says that this new route, branded as the Palau Paradise Express, will offer tourists a new leisure getaway while maintaining trade and tourism links between Australia and Palau under a contract awarded by the Australian Federal Government.

Qantas says it is also boosting capacity to the US, with a 13 pc increase in seats to the region. This includes a 30 pc rise in premium seating options, driven by the reintroduction of more A380s into its fleet from August 2025. 

Qantas says that it will also reintroduce its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on the Brisbane-Los Angeles route, offering customers more travel options in Premium Economy.

The airline also announced its plan to debut its new QantasLink A220 aircraft on the Darwin-Singapore route, with the service beginning in March 2025. 

The A220, which is larger than the originally planned Embraer E190, will operate five times a week, offering over 70,000 seats annually. 

QantasLink has already taken delivery of four of the 29 A220s in its fleet renewal initiative, gradually replacing its older Boeing 717s.

The statement adds that in line with these changes, Qantas will be adjusting its service to Seoul. From June 2025, the airline will cease operations between Sydney and Seoul, with its low-cost carrier Jetstar increasing flights on the route to a daily service, catering to the growing leisure market.

Cam Wallace, CEO of Qantas Group International, emphasised the significance of these network expansions. 

Cam Wallace

“We are so excited to be offering our customers more than 220,000 additional seats on our network, a new international destination, and our brand-new A220 aircraft for our Singapore – Darwin flights, which will be the first of its kind to operate out of Singapore,” Wallace says.

“We are also looking forward to seeing more of our A380s return to the skies and offering more premium seats for customers to book to some of our popular international destinations. As part of our historic fleet renewal program, these changes are about having the right aircraft on the right route and responding to growing customer demand,” he adds.

“One of the benefits of our dual brand strategy is the flexibility we have with our combined Qantas and Jetstar fleets. Qantas launched flights to Seoul after the pandemic, and now that demand has normalised, it’s grown substantially as a leisure market, opening up a great opportunity for Jetstar to increase its frequencies and allow Qantas to redeploy its aircraft to other routes where we are seeing strong demand. This growth is good news for our people and also allows us to offer more choice for our customers travelling around the Qantas network,” Wallace says.