The new direct route will cut around three hours off the existing fastest travel time between the two cities and is the longest non-stop flight to France from anywhere in the world the airline advises.
Qantas especially moved forward to the service to start just ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris. The route will initially operate four times per week over the busy European summer and Olympic and Paralympics before moving to three services per week from mid-August. The new route is said to add an additional 75,000 seats between Australia and France each year.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the national carrier’s return to Paris followed on from the success of its non-stop services into Europe. “There is a lot of excitement amongst our customers and crew that Qantas is returning to Paris and that it’s a non-stop flight between Perth and Paris.In recent years we have seen a significant increase in customers wanting to fly direct on long-haul routes and avoiding stopovers wherever possible. Our direct flights from Perth to London and Rome have some of the highest customer satisfaction on our international network.With these new flights, our customers can depart Perth in the evening and arrive in Paris in time to enjoy brunch overlooking the Eiffel Tower.”
Western Australian Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Rita Saffioti said direct flights formed a major part of the WA Government’s overarching tourism strategy. “We’re really excited to have this flight between Perth and Paris take off, as one of 20 international destinations we now have direct links with. We know that people are more likely to travel to places they’re able to easily access, so this is another big win for tourism in Western Australia.”
Perh has connections to and from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane as well as many other major cities, which will be a boost for travellers both inbound and outbound. It also follows a special agreement between the airline, Perth Airport and the city authorities to enhance connectivity to the region.
The new service will be operated on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft that have been specially designed for the long-haul direct route. The jets are configured with 236 seats across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins in a layout that has been designed to maximise comfort for the longer distances.
QF33 Perth-Paris
QF34 Paris-Perth
Flight time: 17 hours 20 minutes
Travel distance: 14,264km
