Qantas has confirmed it will launch a new route to Europe next year, with Perth-Paris services to debut starting 12 July 2024. The flights will start in the lead up to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and European summer.
Following the success of the national carrier’s unique direct flights from Perth to London and Rome, the new year-round route will see Qantas operate to the French capital for the first time in nearly two decades, cutting around three hours off the current fastest travel time from Perth to Paris.
From 12 July 2024, the 17-hour Perth-Paris flights (QF33/QF34) will initially operate four days per week during the peak European summer with the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Services will move to three per week from mid-August 2024.
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Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group CEO said the airline was thrilled to put Paris back on the Qantas map with a direct link for Australians to the French capital for the first time.
“This route has been on our wish list for a while and we think customers will be as pleased as we are to see it go on sale today,” Hudson said.
“Our direct flights to London and Rome have been hugely popular and Paris is the next most-requested destination, so we know the demand for this service will be strong as well.
Hudson said some of the first customers on the new route will be Australian athletes heading to Paris to compete in the 2024 Games.
“The schedule we’ve announced today will add more than 75,000 seats between Australia and Europe each year and we’ll be working with Tourism WA to help make the most of the opportunity to bring tourists here, knowing that direct flights are a big factor in people deciding where to travel,” Hudson added.
The arrival of new aircraft in recent months and recent increases in flying will see the Qantas Group’s international capacity increase to above 90% of pre-COVID levels by the end year and return to 100% by the middle of next year.
The new flights will operate through Qantas’ existing terminal at Perth Airport (Terminal 3), which will allow seamless connections to other domestic destinations in Australia. Qantas and Perth Airport are making positive progress in negotiations about moving its operations to Terminal 1.
The Paris service will also offer customers another option for connecting to more than 70 destinations across the region, including Barcelona, Munich, Frankfurt and Athens, and 12 destinations within France through Qantas’ network of partners.
A “circle fare” also allows Qantas customers to fly into Paris and return to Australia from London or Rome on the one ticket.
