Qantas has blamed ongoing border uncertainty for a further delay in the return of its flagship Perth to London nonstop till mid-June.
The very popular service was due to return to Perth on March 27 but will instead continue to operate from Darwin for another four months.
Passengers booked on the service between these dates will be offered alternatives, including the ability to connect to the direct flight in Darwin.
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Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce told The West Australian that the airline had been “talking to the Western Australian Government and we’re both keen to restart this flagship route, but that seems unlikely to happen by the end of March.
“We have to make a decision to postpone now so that our passengers and crew have some level of certainty for the months ahead.
“In order to bring this flight back to Perth, we need borders to open with little or no restriction because that’s what we have in other jurisdictions and it’s what travelers will expect.
“At the London end of the route, the UK Government has scrapped all testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers, which is the standard we’ll see more countries adopt as we all adjust to living with COVID.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to restart the Perth-London route in mid-June, which is the same time our direct Perth-Rome route is due to begin.”
Qantas said that passenger numbers on the re-routed flight have been strong since Australia’s international borders re-opened in November due to a mix of pent-up travel demand and a strong preference for direct flights that avoid transiting through a mid-point in Asia or the Middle East.
The airline said that this demand has strengthened further following the announcement Australia will accept all foreign visa holders – including tourists – from February 21.
Qantas said it expects to make a decision on whether any further delay in the resumption of the Perth-London service is required will be made by late April.
