Qantas plots PER growth

LAST year’s debut of Qantas non-stop services between Perth and London has facilitated a $101 million increase in visitor spending, with QF CEO Alan Joyce saying the success of the service could see the carrier “turn Perth into a hub between Australia and more parts of Europe”.

A new Deloitte Access Economics report commissioned by Qantas cites the benefits of the new 787 route a year after its debut, but Joyce noted that “how much we grow the opportunity from here depends on all stakeholders working together”.

The report found the service had “directly and indirectly” supported the creation of 601 jobs, particularly in tourism and hospitality, and had also helped drive over one million visitor nights spent in Western Australia.

More than 70% of international visitors on the flights had chosen to stop over in Perth, while Deloitte claimed global interest in the long-haul flight had generated more than $100 million in free publicity “including significant exposure for WA as a destination”.

Just under 60% of passengers on the London-Perth leg were from Australia, while UK residents made up the majority of overseas passengers.

On the outbound service, 25% of Australian passengers were from Melbourne, 7% from Sydney, 6% from Brisbane and 4% from Adelaide, Joyce said.

“Almost every flight is full and [the route] turned a profit almost immediately,” he enthused.

The full report is online at qantasnewsroom.com.au.