Qantas has agreed a partnership with Emirates that will see the Australian carrier operate its European services via Dubai rather than Singapore
The tie-up has been widely anticipated over the last couple of weeks, with the Australian carrier confirming it was in talks with the Dubai carrier.
The new venture will start in April next year, presuming regulatory approval, and is slated to last for ten years.
The deal is a rare piece of bad news for Singapore Changi Airport, and is the latest example of the shift in the balance of power in the airline industry towards the Gulf region. However, Qantas says it is increasing “dedicated” capacity to Singapore and Hong Kong with “same day” connections. ” We believe this will significantly improve the economics of our Asian operations,” says Qantas.
Emirates will gain feed into its Dubai hub from Australia and Qantas will gain access to Emirates’s growing European network. Emirates will gain access to the Qantas domestic network.
The partnership between IAG and Qantas will be terminated a s a result of the deal, and it remains to be seen whether Qantas remains in oneworld
Qantas will launch daily A380 services from both Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai, meaning that together Emirates and Qantas will offer 98 weekly services between Australia and Dubai. Qantas will also withdraw from the Singapore-Frankfurt route.
