Africa-Press – South-Africa. Qantas has launched a new direct service that connects Johannesburg and Perth, Western Australia.
Flights QF65 and QF66 connect Johannesburg and Perth, with South African travellers heading to New Zealand also offered easier access following the launch of flights between Auckland and Perth.
Qantas said that the new route reinforces the growth of Qantas’ expanding international western hub, connecting three continents and adding more than 150,000 seats.
The flights were also made possible by additional border services at airports, with Perth Airport investing in extra staffing, equipment, and facilities that increase border capacity.
“The response from customers since we announced these routes in May has been terrific,” said the CEO of Qantas International, Cam Wallace.
“The inaugural flight to Johannesburg is almost full, and we’re seeing positive forward bookings, so we know there is a strong appetite for direct travel between the West and South Africa, as well as Auckland.”
Wallace said that Qantas’ partnership with Airlink in South Africa will also help expand to other popular cities in South Africa, especially Cape Town.
South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia De Lille, said that the Johannesburg and Perth direct service helps connect South Africa’s connectivity with Oceania.
De Lille stated that the route will play a crucial role in growing inbound business events traffic, as the nation prepares for Meetings Africa 2026 in February and Africa’s Travel Indaba in May.
South Africa will also help global sporting events such as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027, with South Africa and Australia already sharing a strong sporting bond.
Johannesburg to Perth will operate as QF66 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, with an approximate flight time of 9 hours and 55 minutes.
The flight will be operated by a Qantas A330, featuring 27 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 224 economy seats.
The flights will take approximately 9 hours and 55 minutes from Johannesburg to Perth, but the return trip will take 11 hours and 15 minutes.
Qantas is now in direct competition with South African Airways, which already operates a route between Johannesburg and Perth, having launched last year.
Australia is an emigration hotspot for South Africans, with over 200,000 people born in South Africa now living in Australia.
New international flights are incoming
In addition to the recent launch of flights to Perth, three new direct flight routes are also being introduced for South African travellers to Spain, Mozambique, and Zanzibar.
Air Europa will operate the planned direct service between South Africa and Spain after receiving approval from Spain’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
However, the carrier has been granted the rights to fly three times a week between the two countries, with regulatory and operational processes underway.
Across Africa, Airlink is expanding its presence with the launch of a new twice-weekly service between Johannesburg and Nacala, scheduled to begin on 2 February 2026
Nacala, located in Mozambique’s northeast, is considered an economically important port city.
Airlink is also preparing to launch a new leisure-focused link to Zanzibar in 2026, with the route set to be operated via its latest fleet addition, the Embraer E195-E2.
The Johannesburg–Zanzibar flights are expected to start in June 2026, and tickets are now available for purchase.
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