Qantas to fly the Boeing 787 to Hong Kong
Qantas has revealed Hong Kong as their next destination for their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The aircraft will operate from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
This will be the first Qantas Boeing 787 Asian route.
The following list will be the flights operated:
- Brisbane to Hong Kong will be flown daily as QF97/98. The 787 will operate one day per week from the 19th of December, which will then be increased to two days per week from the 30th of January. The Airbus A330 will operate all other days.
- Melbourne to Hong Kong will be flown daily as QF29/30. The 787 will operate five days per week from the 13th of December 2018, increasing to six days per week from the 28th of January to 29th of March 2019. The A330 will operate all other days.
- Sydney to Hong Kong will be flown double daily as QF127/128 and QF117/118. The 787 will operate six days per week from the 30th of March 2019. The A330 will operate all over services, with the A380 operating daily during peak season.
Qantas states these changes are to coincide with the arrival of their eighth Boeing 787.
Qantas has their 787 configured in a three class layout with 166 economy, 28 premium economy and 42 business seats. In total, the aircraft is fitted with 236 seats.
Alison Webster, Qantas’ International CEO, explained the choice in the following statement:
“Introducing the Dreamliner to Hong Kong reinforces our commitment to Asia, where we are seeing strong demand from premium travellers.”
He adds:
“The customer response to the Dreamliner has been overwhelmingly positive. Feedback on the cabin environment, from the seats to the anti-jetlag measures, is fantastic. It’s an aircraft people really enjoy flying on.”
This route is not the last for the Qantas 787. Plans are currently on the board to possibly introduce Paris, Frankfurt, Chicago and Seattle. Other Asian destinations are currently being investigated too.
With another six 787-9s set to arrive between 2019 and 2020, Qantas will gradually begin removing the 747-400s and 400ERs. This will be a sad time but will open up the opportunity for future route adjustments.