The Qantas was called "Sunrise. Developed by the Australian carrier, it is due to make its official debut in late 2022 or early 2023. non-stop flights from Australia to Europe and New York.
Unfortunately, Covid has come and gone in the meantime, profoundly changing the situation. In March 2020, Qantas officially suspended the ambitious project.
And yet.., Sunrise is not dead. According to Alan Joyce, CEO of the Australian airline, Qantas is planning to launch a new...
The Qantas was called "Sunrise. Developed by the Australian carrier, it is due to make its official debut in late 2022 or early 2023. non-stop flights from Australia to Europe and New York.
Unfortunately, Covid has come and gone in the meantime, profoundly changing the situation. In March 2020, Qantas officially suspended the ambitious project.
And yet.., Sunrise is not dead. According to Alan Joyce, CEO of the Australian airline, Qantas is planning to launch non-stop flights lasting between 6pm and 8pm. From Airbus A350 - model 1000 - will operate these future very long-haul routes. A final decision is expected by the end of 2021. If it proves positive, Qantas will be the first airline in the world to connect London non-stop to one of Australia's three East Coast cities – SydneyMelbourne or Brisbane.
The airline's CEO is basing his comments on the positive experience of the non-stop service operated by Qantas between London and Perth (Western Australia). According to Alan Joyce, this is the most profitable route in the carrier's international network. Future Airbus A350s, with fewer seats than traditional aircraft, would prove just as profitable.
London-Sydney: a distant dream in the context of the pandemic
The company even believes that there is a potential for very long-haul non-stop flights from Australia to Frankfurt, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Cape Town and Paris. These links are unlikely to see the light of day before 2025 at the earliest!
In the meantime, the company is still adjusting its international network to the new market conditions.excessive caution on the part of the Australian government to reopen its borders.
The announcement by the government to authorise travel bubbles only sparinglyQantas' plans to resume international flights have been derailed. Presenting the budget for fiscal year 2021, the Minister for the Budget Josh Frydenberg said that "international borders [...Australia. will be gradually reopened from the middle of next year".
For the second time, Qantas has indicated that it is delaying the reactivation of its international routes. This international relaunch had already been postponed from July to October. According to the airline, it could now take place on 20 December.
The only one spared for the moment is the New Zealand, with its travel bubble. Depending on how the epidemic develops, travel bubbles could also be created with certain Pacific islands, Singapore and Taiwan.
(Updated 14/05/2021)