Will we have Europe Perth Direct flights in 2018?
It’s now likely, with Qantas, Perth Airport and the Western Australian government set to unveil a deal for Europe Perth direct flights, reports today said.
Qantas is about to take charge of a fleet of Boeing 787 planes – these new aircraft are capable of flying non-stop from London to Perth.
The era of stopovers in the Middle-East or Asia for international visitors to and from Australia may be over.
These flights are estimated to take about 17-18 hours from London.
Other major European cities will also come online with Qantas in the years ahead.
Earlier Proposal : Perth to London One Way
The flights would allow European travellers to fly directly to Perth on any trip to Australia, before perhaps boarding direct to other Australian destination, or staying in Perth and Western Australia before leaving.
The operation is set to boost the local economy by hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
The Qantas Boeing 787 planes will have the potential to fly direct from Paris, Frankfurt and Rome and many other European long-haul cities of origin direct to Perth.
Opinion : Perth’s big opportunity to become “Australia’s Gateway to the World”
The West Australian newspaper aviation editor Geoffrey Thomas reveals that Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Premier Colin Barnett and Perth Airport officials will unveil the news in a press conference in the next day.
It looked like a deal might not have been done, but with political pressure mounting, WA’s government has stepped in to assist the Qantas and Perth airport commercial negotiations.
As part of the deal, new international terminal facilities will be build by 2021, Perthnow reported. The WA government would pay for immigration, security and other services, the report said.
Post updates with more information as it comes.
