Australia’s flag carrier Qantas returns to Italy this summer after over a decade with its latest non-stop flight between Perth and the capital, Rome.
The new service took off for the first time on 22 June to much delight of those involved.
Back to The Eternal City
On 22 June, a Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner departed Perth Airport on a non-stop journey to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
The occasion truly was a momentous one and that was recognised tastefully on board with an “Italian-inspired” menu curated by Australian chef Neil Perry, who is also the co-ordinator for Flight Catering at Qantas.
The inspired menu offered business class passengers dishes such as prawn spaghetti, zucchini and basil soup, and tiramisu for dessert.
The launch of Qantas’ latest non-stop service was also monumental due to the fact that the carrier marks its return to the country after a massive 18-year absence as well as its return to continental Europe.
Qantas last flew to Rome in 2003, however, the service was discontinued during a period when the carrier seized flights to several other European destinations.
Until now, there has been no direct connection to Italy from Australia. Travellers have had to connect in cities such as Dubai or Singapore in order to travel to the popular European destination. It goes without saying that its return is a welcome addition to Qantas’ operations.
The Perth – Rome service, operating under QF5, will run three times a week with Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner, a spacious aircraft that can carry 236 passengers in total.
QF5 comes after Qantas relaunched its non-stop long-haul service to London after a two-year absence induced by the pandemic. The service is also the only option available that connects Australia to the UK.
The mission to connect Perth to the world
Today, Australia’s largest airline announced in a press release that it will be significantly boosting its international network from Western Australia’s capital with new routes to Johannesburg and Jakarta later this year.
From 1 November, Qantas will be operating the only direct service from Perth to South Africa by offering flights three times a week to the South African capital.
The service will be run on the carrier’s Airbus A330 aircraft and will complement an existing service from Sydney to Johannesburg, which will be increasing its frequency to daily flights from 30 October due to high demand.
From 30 November, customers can fly from Perth to the capital of Indonesia in a launch that marks the first time Qantas has operated a route to the capital. The service will run three flights a week on the carrier’s Boeing 737 aircraft.
The addition of Rome, Johannesburg and Jakarta means that Qantas will operate international flights from Perth to five major destinations, including a highly anticipated return to London and Singapore.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce commented on the carrier’s international expansion and the exciting impact it will have on the carrier’s international network from Perth:
“Western Australia has become an increasingly important part of our international network and we’re really excited to be launching two more routes from Perth. International travel demand continues to rebound as people make up for two years of closed borders. Our direct flights from Perth to London and Rome are selling really strongly, which gives us the confidence to add new routes from our western hub.”
Not bad for the 3rd oldest carrier in the world! What do you make of Qantas’ rapid expansion of international services? Let us know in the comments below.
