Qantas Airways, the national airline of Australia, has released its new schedule for flights from the UK.
The new timetable will be effective from April 1, 2013, when its joint operations with UK based British Airways comes to an end after 17 years. The new timetable will reflect the new 10-year global partnership with Emirates Airlines, a UAE-based airline company.
The airline has reported that its daily flights to London Heathrow airport, from Melbourne and Sydney, will be rerouted through Dubai airport in the UAE, instead of its previous stop at Singapore. The airline has announced that ‘Dubai will become the Qantas gateway to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.’
The global partnership between Quantas and Emirates is pending approval from the regulatory bodies, and once effective, Quantas is expected to shift its hub for European flights to Dubai from Singapore.
As part of the ongoing changes, direct flights between Sydney and Singapore are expected to reduce to 11 flights per week, from the previous, twice daily.
Alan Joyce, the Qantas Group chief executive officer, said, in a statement, ‘This agreement represents a step-change for the aviation industry.
It is far bigger than a code share. Or even a joint services agreement. This is the biggest arrangement Qantas has ever entered into with another airline.
(This is) a ten year partnership, which will be good for all parts of the Qantas Group. Subject to regulatory approval, it will include integrated network collaboration with coordinated pricing, sales and scheduling and a benefit-sharing model.
This will deliver significant benefits to our business.’
