Australian flag carrier Qantas has announced that it will invest billions of dollars in Perth Airport for its expansion. Let’s go over all the details.
Multi-billion dollar investment
Qantas has signed a “historic commercial agreement” with Perth Airport. As part of the 12-year agreement, Perth Airport will invest around $3 billion in new terminal facilities and a new parallel runway.
This will form part of a $5 billion capital investment program by Perth Airport – the largest ever private infrastructure development in Perth – which will also deliver two multi-storey carparks, major access roadworks, and the airport’s first hotel.
Qantas and Jetstar will relocate all services to a new terminal in the Airport Central precinct, which they say will, along with the airline’s major investment in new aircraft, enable the growth required to turn Western Australia into a major domestic and international hub for the airlines.
This is the largest airport infrastructure deal in our history. It will enable us to create a world-class western hub and significantly expand our domestic and international services over the short, medium and long term. Not only will it allow us to bring hundreds of thousands more travellers to and through Western Australia each year, it will also make it easier for overseas tourists to connect to more destinations across Australia.
Perth-London and Perth-Rome are two of the most popular flights on our international network, which gives us confidence in our strategy to ramp up WA flying over the next few years as we receive new aircraft and grow our fleet. The additional flying will see us create an estimated 700 new jobs in Western Australia across pilots, crew, engineering and airport staff.
With the launch of Perth-Paris in July and Jetstar’s new services into Asia starting later this year, we have a pipeline of growth underway that will mean Perth is on track to become our second biggest international gateway behind Sydney.
Venessa Hudson, CEO of Qantas said.
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Expansion from Perth
Qantas and Jetstar plan to add 4.4 million seats to and from Perth annually by the time the new terminal opens in 2031. The group will focus on expanding operations to Asia, Africa, India and Europe from Perth. The airport authorities have long been demanding a nonstop flight to India, one of the largest unserved markets from Perth. Could we finally see it happen? Only time will tell.
Qantas says that the new terminal will offer easy domestic and international transfer as well as state-of-the-art check-in and bag drop facilities. Qantas will work with Perth Airport on plans for a multi-lounge precinct for international and domestic passengers “with a new signature design and bespoke dining and wellness initiatives”.
Additionally, as part of the agreement, Qantas also plans to build a new engineering hangar in the Airport Central precinct.
This is a special moment in the history of aviation in Western Australia as this agreement will unlock the future for both Perth Airport and Qantas. Qantas has some ambitious growth plans for its operations in Perth and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to push ahead together to realise this potential. Western Australians will now see the largest-ever private investment in an infrastructure development in Perth – a once in a lifetime investment program that will completely change the face of Perth Airport over the next decade.
Jason Waters, CEO of Perth Airport said.
Perth Airport will also invest in upgrades to Terminals 3 and 4, the current home of Qantas domestic and international flights, to create additional capacity while the new terminals are built. For the time being, Jetstar will relocate its domestic services to Terminal 2 from September 2024.
The Terminal 3 and 4 upgrades will enable Qantas to add services and more destinations from Perth, including Auckland and Johannesburg from mid-2025. The works will also include gate upgrades to accommodate ultra-long-haul aircraft, including its Project Sunrise Airbus A350s which arrive from 2026.
Qantas and Perth Airport have also agreed on the need for and timing of the new parallel runway which is expected to be open in 2028.
Featured image by Qantas
Both the other images by Qantas
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