Qantas has brought forward the return of its direct flight between Perth and London in a welcome move that will safely increase international arrivals from Europe, supporting WA's economic diversification plans.
The resumption of Qantas' more direct route has been brought forward early ahead of schedule, with flights to begin on May 23, 2022. The route was previously scheduled to return to Perth from June 19.
Tickets will go on sale today.
At the time of its launch in 2018, the popular direct route was the only non-stop service between Australia and the United Kingdom as well as the first ever direct service between the two countries.
The new direct service firmly established Perth as Australia's western gateway to Europe, with most flights operating at full capacity in both directions, and Qantas reporting the route as the most popular and profitable across its network.
The United Kingdom is a key high-value tourism market for WA, with more than 122,000 UK travellers visiting the State in 2019.
Before the direct flight was temporarily rerouted due to COVID-19, international leisure arrivals from Europe had increased by 2.8 per cent in 2019 compared to the previous year, injecting approximately $545 million visitor spend into the economy.
The early return of the direct Perth-London route complements the upcoming launch of Qantas' direct Perth-Rome service, which is due to take off on June 22, 2022.
The Perth-Rome service will run three times per week and is also supported by the McGowan Government through Tourism WA.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"We are proud to welcome this important connection back to Western Australia.
"This direct route between Perth and London made history when it was first launched, and along with the upcoming Perth to Rome route, its early return firmly positions WA as Australia's western gateway to Europe.
"Re-establishing international and interstate flight routes is a key part of our $195 million Reconnect WA package, and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors from Europe back to WA safely, through these direct services."
As stated by Tourism Minister Roger Cook:
"The United Kingdom is a key visitor market for WA and the early return of the Perth-London route marks a great day for tourism in our State.
"The two direct connections from Perth to London and Rome will provide a huge boost in the number of visitors coming to WA from Europe, which will create more jobs in our tourism, entertainment and hospitality industries, and inject millions into our State's economy.
"This is yet another sign of confidence that WA is open for business and open for tourism.
"We strongly encourage our European friends to take advantage of these direct services to come to Western Australia, visit family and friends, and most importantly, Wander out Yonder into our regions and explore all the incredible attractions our State has to offer."
