Qantas pilots ‘bitterly disappointed’ with international plan

Qantas has announced a dramatic increase in its international network with close to a million extra seats to become available from late October, putting downward pressure on fares.

The additional capacity will be made possible through the return of more Qantas aircraft to service, new aircraft joining the fleet and an arrangement with Finnair to operate two A330s on Qantas routes.

The deal will see Finnair pilots and cabin crew used on routes from Sydney to Bangkok and Shanghai, to the dismay of Qantas pilots.

Australian and International Pilots Association president Tony Lucas said the move to “outsource the Spirit of Australia was shocking and bitterly disappointing”.

“It beggars belief that Qantas

is outsourcing the Spirit of Australia while simultaneously converting two of our own A330 passenger aircraft into freighters,” Captain Lucas said.

“The decision to wet lease illustrates the failures of the fleet planning processes of the last five years and certainly recent ecisions made during the pandemic recovery.

Across the network, the increase meant Qantas would return to pre-pandemic international capacity by March 2024, up from 44 per cent a year ago, and 84 per cent today.

The airline said a workforce of 2400 pilots and cabin crew would power the operation, with a further 300 people needed by the end of the year.

Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce said the rebound in demand for international travel since borders reopened had been “incredibly strong” and the network boost would add hundreds of thousands of seats in time for the Australian summer holiday period.

New routes to be operated from October 29 include Brisbane-Wellington and Brisbane-Honiara, using Embraer E190 jets. Qantas will return to Shanghai from Sydney for the first time in three years with daily A330 flights, and flights to Japan from Australian cities will jump from 14 to 28 a week.

A new Sydney-AucklandNew York route starting in June will add a fourth weekly flight from October and Melbourne-LA flights will rise from daily to nine a week with more A380s flying.

Qantas is also preparing to resume San Francisco flights next week, and will restart seasonal flights to Rome next month, as well as MelbourneHong Kong.