Qantas confirms new direct route from Auckland to Perth
Tuesday, 6 May 2025
It’s been one of the worst kept secrets in aviation - but Qantas has finally confirmed it will launch direct flights between Auckland and Perth.
The airline has also announced a direct route from Perth to Johannesburg, offering another option for Kiwis to get to South Africa. Qantas already flies from Perth to Paris and Rome, so the new route from New Zealand means Kiwis can fly to Europe via Western Australia.
Currently Air New Zealand flies daily from Auckland to Perth. Qantas had previously flown between the two destinations up until 2018.
Both of the new Qantas routes will take off from December 2025, subject to government and regulatory approval, and are available to book now.
The inaugural Auckland to Perth service is scheduled to take off December 7, and will operate three times a week as QF112 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The flight time is about eight hours and will operate on a Qantas A330, with 27 business class suites in a 1-21 configuration, and 224 economy seats.
Qantas says these flights have been made possible by funding allocated from the Australian Federal Government to Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry to deliver additional border services at airports.
The funding will enable Perth Airport to invest in additional staffing, equipment and facilities that increase border and biosecurity capacity and in turn allow the airport to host more international flights.
CEO Qantas International Cam Wallace said it’s exciting to unlock more options.
“By connecting Auckland directly with Perth, we’re enabling a convenient and vital one-stop proposition for Kiwis to fly to the UK and across Europe on our popular direct services. We’re also opening inbound tourism opportunities to Auckland and throughout New Zealand on the Jetstar domestic network.”
“Similarly, the new direct flight to Perth provides a great connection for customers to visit popular destinations throughout Western Australia on the Qantas domestic network such as Broome.”
He said the new Perth route also offered a convenient one-stop connection for West Australians to New York via Auckland on its QF3 service.
The new route has been long signalled, as the airline group’s CEO Vanessa Hudson had earlier indicated to media she would love to see the route reinstated. Tourism Western Australia all but confirmed to Stuff Travel in 2024 the route was likely to launch in 2025.
Tourism to Western Australia from New Zealand is increasing, and Kiwi travellers are now the third-largest inbound market to the Aussie state.
In a statement to Stuff in late 2024 on the increase in tourism to the west, Tourism Western Australia Acting Managing Director Stephanie Underwood said Kiwi travellers to WA are often seasoned travellers, having explored much of the world and Australia’s east coast, and now seek a different Aussie adventure.
“Research shows when deciding upon a holiday destination, travellers from NZ are looking for a safe and secure destination, value for money, and an appealing climate, all of which WA can offer visitors. Kiwis top three leisure activities are dining at a restaurant or café, going shopping and going to the beach”, she said at the time.
Perth Airport’s Chief Commercial and Aviation Officer Kate Holsgrove said the new route is great news from Western Australia.
“Perth is a dynamic, expanding hub with incredible growth opportunities and we remain focused on working with our airline partners to grow aviation connectivity to create more opportunities for Western Australia’s tourism industry and provide more options for Western Australians to travel.
“Creating additional capacity within Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 will allow Qantas to add or expand their services to Western Australia and is an important interim measure as we build new terminal facilities at Airport Central so Qantas can relocate in 2031.”