Qantas Suspends WA Hub’s Growth EXCLUSIVE
Geoffrey Thomas
Qantas has suspended growth of its western hub because Perth Airport refuses to allow it to use its new T3 international wing for its proposed South Africa service. Speaking yesterday to analysts, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said that “the concept of a western hub is a great one, it has great viability , we just need a co-operative airport to help expand it” . “We’re obviously keeping Perth-London going but we’re suspending all other growth options until we have resolution on that (Perth-Johannesburg ) issue,” he said.
Qantas wants to operate a four times-weekly seasonal service between Perth and Johannesburg, to start in December from its new T3 international precinct where as Perth Airport wants the airline to use T1 — the main innternational terminal on the other side of the airport. Qantas argues it wants passengers from around WA and Australia to connect seamlessly with the proposed flight.
In late 2016, the State Government brokered a deal between the airport and Qantas when it tipped in $14 million to establish the international wing at the T3/ T4 complex where all the airline’s domestic flights operate. That deal gave the green light for the Perth-to-London nonstop service and also included the proposed Paris and Frankfurt or Berlin nonstops , the airline’s doubledaily Singapore and seasonal Auckland flights.
A Perth Airport spokesman said yesterday “we remain happy to talk to Qantas about getting the part-time Johannesburg flights going as soon as possible through T1 international , where 18 other international carriers operate” . “Perth Airport and the State needs to keep its focus firmly on developing new direct service routes to the growth areas of Asia,” he said. “With more than four billion people on our doorstep in the Asian region, Tokyo, Shanghai and Mumbai offer enormous opportunities for WA. “This is why we will need to expand T1 international and why it is crucial to the State’s future economic prosperity. “We will deliver the tourism sector and the economy a greater return by prioritising the development of new routes, as opposed to the, at best, marginal benefits of adding limited additional flights to existing routes on a seasonal basis.” However, industry observers say that during the proposed expansion of T1, the airport will lose at least two gates and may struggle to handle more Qantas flights. Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said the Government was “continuing to position Western Australia as the western gateway to Australia by pursuing direct flights from our key markets, which include China, Japan, India and Europe” .