Qantas to Reveal First 787 Route, with London-Perth Considered

Qantas Airways Ltd. plans to unveil its first route using Boeing Co.'s 787 at the end of this year and is considering a direct London-Perth link that would rank among the world's longest flights.

The carrier, set to receive its first 787 next year, also still intends to defer deliveries of its remaining eight A380s on order from Airbus Group SE, Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said Friday. "We are continuing to push them out," he said at the CAPA aviation conference in Brisbane.

The range and fuel-economy of the 787, also known as the Dreamliner, has led Qantas to consider other possible connections such as Brisbane-U.S., Melbourne-Dallas and Sydney-Chicago, Joyce said. The carrier is holding talks with airports in state capitals across the nation about what infrastructure is required to support new Dreamliner routes.

"There are plenty of different options," he said.

The London-Perth connection would rival the current longest flight in the world - Emirates' Dubai-to-Auckland link, which is scheduled switch to using the A380 from Oct. 30.

Joyce also said he was "very happy" to remain as Qantas CEO and continue the turnaround at the company, which has cut thousands of jobs and deferred planes as part of steps that returned the carrier to profitability last year.



Qantas declined 0.3 percent to AU$3.13 as of 11:12 a.m. in Sydney trading. The stock has fallen 23 percent in 2016, after gains in the past two years.

Angus Whitley, Bloomberg News