Qantas will launch two new international destinations from Sydney later this year, with non-stop flights to Seoul and Bengaluru. Jetstar will also launch a new route from Sydney to Seoul.
Tickets are already on sale and Qantas Classic Flight Reward seats are now available on some of these flights. The first three Qantas flights from Sydney to Bengaluru and Seoul are also “points planes”, meaning all seats are available to book as Classic Flight Rewards (until sold out).
Qantas’ new Sydney-Seoul flight
From 10 December 2022, Qantas will fly four times per week between Sydney and Seoul in South Korea using Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The flights will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays with the following schedule (note that times may change outside of daylight savings in Australia):
- QF87 Sydney 09:35 – Seoul (Incheon) 18:20
- QF88 Seoul (Incheon) 19:50 – Sydney 08:20 (next day)
Qantas also codeshares with Asiana Airlines, which will merge with Korean Air in a few years, on the Sydney-Seoul route. Asiana operates daily Boeing 777 flights between the two cities at very similar times to the Qantas schedule.
Qantas last flew its own aircraft to South Korea in January 2008.
Jetstar’s new Sydney-Seoul route
Jetstar will launch three weekly flights on the same route from 2 November 2022 using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. These flights will run on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays:
- JQ47 Sydney 12:00 – Seoul (Incheon) 20:15
- JQ48 Seoul (Incheon) 22:00 – Sydney 10:15 (next day)
Jetstar flights from Sydney to Seoul are now on sale from $398 return until 4pm on 14 April, or sold out.
Prior to the pandemic, Jetstar operated three weekly flights from the Gold Coast to Seoul. Jetstar’s Gold Coast-Seoul flights are still listed in the GDS, but no seats are currently available for sale. This would indicate that Jetstar does not plan to continue operating Gold Coast-Seoul flights, with the Sydney-Seoul route replacing it.
Qantas says that the new Qantas and Jetstar services “recognise the increasing popularity of South Korea as a must-see destination for Australians, with its rich cultural history, vibrant nightlife, and incredible food.”
“South Korea is Australia’s fourth largest trading partner and Koreans see Sydney as one of the top tourism destinations. With expected strong business, premium leisure and low-cost travel demand on the route, we see an opportunity for both Qantas and Jetstar to fly on the route,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said.
The announcement comes just a week after South Korea reopened its border to quarantine-free international travel.
Qantas to launch Sydney-Bengaluru route, partner with IndiGo
Also announced today was a new direct Qantas flight from Sydney to Bengaluru in southern India. These flights will run four times per week from 14 September using Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
The schedule will be as follows, with flights departing on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays:
- QF67 Sydney 09:30 – Bengaluru 16:55
- QF68 Bengaluru 18:35 – Sydney 10:20 (next day)
This flight will complement Qantas’ existing Melbourne-Delhi route. Qantas had also operated a Sydney-Delhi flight from December 2021 until March 2022, but that route has since been terminated.
Qantas has also announced a new codeshare partnership with Indian airline IndiGo, which has a hub in Bengaluru. Qantas customers will be able to connect onwards from Bengaluru, located in the south of India, to other Indian destinations on flights operated by Indigo.
Under the codeshare partnership, Qantas customers will be able to fly Qantas to Bengaluru, Delhi or Singapore and connect onwards with IndiGo to over 50 destinations in India.
IndiGo is a low-cost carrier, but Qantas says that passengers booked on QF-marketed codeshare flights operated by IndiGo will earn points, status credits and receive food & drinks on board. Qantas also says that tiered frequent flyers will receive some reciprocal status benefits on IndiGo codeshare flights including additional baggage allowance, priority baggage and priority check-in.
Qantas previously codeshared with Jet Airways, offering customers one-stop connections to India via Singapore. Jet Airways went bankrupt in 2019.
Australia and India signed a free trade agreement this week, which Qantas has cited as a key factor in its decision to launch a second Indian destination.
“The signing of the Australia-India free trade agreement is a driver of travel demand as trade and investment links expand between Australia and India’s population of more than one billion people,” CEO Alan Joyce said.
Qantas is receiving subsidies from the NSW Aviation Attraction Fund to launch these new routes to Seoul and Bengaluru. This fund is jointly paid for by the NSW government (i.e. taxpayers) and Sydney Airport.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Qantas Expands International Network – Commences Flights To Seoul & Bengaluru
