A Qantas A380, which is now operating on the Sydney-Johannesburg route. Picture: supplied
Qantas is boosting its South African service with an A380 Superjumbo service from Sydney to Johannesburg.
Last Monday’s inaugural flight marks the start of a six-weekly A380 service with nearly double the passenger capacity that will add an extra 130,000 seats on the route annually. (The A380 can carry 485 passengers across four cabins.)
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace says demand for the route is strong.
“We are seeing strong demand for our Johannesburg services.
“By upgrading to the Superjumbo, we will nearly double capacity during peak periods, adding over 130,000 seats per year between the continents,” he says.
“The A380 is a favourite among our frequent flyers and it will be great to see the Flying Kangaroo in the land of the springbok.
“This extra capacity, combined with our new codeshare with Airlink, will significantly expand the options for Qantas customers heading to Africa, strengthening the connections between family and friends, business and trade as well as supporting the tourism industry on both sides of the Indian Ocean,” Wallace says.
Qantas says it intends to relaunch a direct Perth-Johannesburg service from mid-2025.
AIRLINK
Qantas also announces a new codeshare partnership with Johannesburg-based Airlink, linking it to nine South African destinations: Cape Town, Durban, Hoedspruit,
Bloemfontein, East London, George, Nelspruit, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Skukuza.
The carrier hopes to add more Airlink destinations in nearby African countries in the months to come.
With the greater capacity from the larger aircraft, Qantas will operate over 280,000 seats per year between Australia and South Africa.
This is the world’s only A380 flight that crosses the southern Indian Ocean, according to the airline; when flying a southerly route on a clear day, customers can often see Antarctica.
The flight times are 14 hours 40 minutes from Sydney to Johannesburg and 11 hours 55 minutes from Johannesburg to Sydney.
