May 1 - Qantas Airways said it will prolong a set of schedule adjustments across both its international and domestic networks through September, attributing the move to tensions in the Middle East, higher fuel costs and particularly strong travel demand to Europe.
The carrier said it had previously responded to rising operating expenses by lifting fares and reallocating capacity, and that the latest extension reflects continuing cost pressures from crude price moves and geopolitical uncertainty which are prompting airlines to prioritise the most profitable routes, notably those serving Europe.
Key schedule and capacity decisions
- Qantas will continue to position aircraft to increase services between Australia and Europe.
- The airline has extended its additional Perth-Rome flights for another three months, with the extra services now running until the end of October.
- Flights to Paris will revert to a planned schedule of three return services per week from August, and those flights will continue to operate from Sydney via Singapore.
- Qantas and its low-cost unit Jetstar have cut capacity in other markets; notably the Sydney-Bengaluru service will be temporarily suspended from August and is scheduled to resume at the end of October.
- Both carriers have also reduced capacities across the Tasman.
Management quantified the impact of these moves on the group international schedule, saying the adjustments will reduce earlier planned group international capacity by 2 percentage points for the first quarter of fiscal 2027.
On the domestic front, Qantas extended a previously announced 5-percentage-point reduction in domestic capacity through the end of September, rather than returning to the originally planned recovery in the June quarter.
Market reaction was positive in early trade, with Qantas shares rising as much as 1.4% to A$8.53.
Context and operational emphasis
The company framed the moves as a response to a combination of external cost pressures and shifting demand patterns, deploying aircraft to more profitable long-haul services while trimming lower-priority regional and short-haul frequencies. The adjustments affect international capacity, domestic seat supply and trans-Tasman services, and involve both full-service and low-cost parts of the group.
Qantas said the capacity and schedule changes will remain in place through the September quarter, with a small number of expanded services running into October where noted.