Qantas is set to resume flights from Brisbane to Manila for the first time in 10 years as demand grows for travel between Australia and the Philippines.
From 28 October 2024, the route will operate four days per week with Airbus A330 aircraft, adding more than 100,000 seats between Australia and the Philippines each year.
“We’re always looking to ensure that we have the right aircraft, on the right routes and at the right time of year to best meet the needs of our customers,” said Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace.
“This will create more choice for our corporate and leisure customers and make it even easier for them to access the places they need to travel to in Asia.”
Qantas has also announced flights from Sydney to Bengaluru will also increase from five per week to daily to cater for strong demand over the peak holiday season.
The extra flights will operate between mid-December 2024 and late March 2025, adding over 12,000 seats between the two cities over the four-month period.
Australia’s largest carrier is also increasing services from Sydney to Singapore from 14 to 17 return flights per week from 11 December 2024.
Brisbane to Singapore will also increase from seven to nine return flights per week from 27 October 2024, timed to improve connectivity with Qantas’ daily service from Singapore to London, reducing overall travel time to Heathrow by around four hours.
During the same announcement, Qantas revealed from 28 July 2024, flights to Shanghai will be suspended due to low demand.
“We’ll continue to maintain a presence in China through our partners and our existing flights to Hong Kong and look to return to Shanghai in the future,” Wallace said.
Qantas resumed its Sydney-Shanghai service in October last year after it was paused during Covid, however Wallace said demand has not recovered as anticipated.