A Familiar Face
Qantas began flying to Singapore more than 60 years ago and rapidly expanded services to other parts of Asia after World War II. As part of an airmail service to the United Kingdom, a four-engine DH86 biplane made the first Qantas overseas flight in February 1935 from Brisbane and Darwin to Singapore. Regular passenger flights began in April 1935. Pioneering mail, passenger and freight services - interrupted by the war - have developed into a comprehensive network linking Australia with 11 countries in North Asia and South East Asia. Qantas has direct services between seven Australian cities and 15 cities in the region. It operates a network of intra-Asian flights which connect with Qantas services to Australia and to Europe. As part of their global alliance, Qantas and British Airways developed a greater level of cooperation from November 1995 on Kangaroo Route services linking Australia, key Asian cities and Europe.
Countries Served
Qantas offers services, including codeshares, to The People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam. Destinations are: Bangkok, Denpasar, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Nagoya, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo.
History Of Services And Current Operations
The People's Republic of China - Qantas resumed services to the People's Republic of China in March 1995 after an absence of eight years. Qantas currently offers three flights a week to Shanghai.
Qantas has served Hong Kong with scheduled services since June 1949 following charter flights which began in March 1949. Today, Qantas operates 24 flights a week to Hong Kong from Australia. Qantas operates daily services between Hong Kong and Singapore.
Indonesia - Qantas began services to Jakarta (then Batavia) in April 1935 and operated its first flight to Denpasar on the island of Bali in August 1969. Today, Qantas operates 18 services to Indonesia including five non-stop Sydney-Jakarta services a week and also non-stop flights to Jakarta from Perth. Qantas operates five Jakarta-Singapore services, and four a week between Denpasar-Singapore. Qantas flies to Denpasar from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin and Brisbane.
India - Qantas returned to India in July 1996, after suspending services in 1990 as part of a company-wide restructuring. The Qantas association with India dates from 1947, the start of the airline's independent services from Australia to Europe with a stopover in Kolkata. Qantas currently flies daily to Mumbai (Bombay) via Singapore.
Japan - Qantas flew charter services to Bofu in December 1947 and to Tokyo in October 1948. It began scheduled services to Tokyo in October 1950. Qantas operates 24 flights a week between four Australian cities (Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Cairns) and Tokyo and Nagoya. In April 1997, Qantas commenced a codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines, and now offers 14 codeshare services a week between Australia and Japan (Brisbane and Sydney, and Tokyo and Osaka) on JAL flights.
Philippines - Scheduled services to Manila began in September 1949 following military charters which started in November 1947. Today, Qantas flies six times a week to Manila from Brisbane and Sydney.
Republic of Korea - Flights to Seoul began in November 1991. Qantas currently offers daily services via a codeshare agreement with the Republic of Korea's Asiana Airlines.
Singapore - The island republic is an important hub for Qantas flights linking Australian cities with Kangaroo Route services to Europe and flights to other parts of Asia. Qantas operates 52 non-stop services a week to Singapore from Australia. It flies between Singapore and Jakarta six times a week, between Singapore and Denpasar four times a week, and operates daily services between Singapore and Hong Kong.
Taiwan -Sydney-Taipei services began in October 1991 and three flights a week - in conjunction with codeshare partner Eva Air - now link Taipei, Sydney and Brisbane.
Thailand - Qantas first flew to the Thai capital in November 1953. Today, Bangkok is a Qantas hub to Europe and the airline operates 13 flights each week through the Thai capital to Sydney and Melbourne.
Vietnam - Qantas began scheduled services to Ho Chi Minh City in November 1994, replacing charter services. In August 1997, Qantas opened a new sales and administration office in Ho Chi Minh City, the airline's first in Vietnam. In February 1998, Qantas signed a codeshare agreement with Vietnam Airlines, and offers three codeshare services a week on Vietnam Airlines flights to Ho Chi Minh City.