Oneworld Launches A Wave Of New Routes This Week

This week saw Cathay, Qantas and British Airways launch a wave of new flights, adding options and increasing the oneworld global network. British Airways has added to its Gatwick leisure network by introducing Toronto and re-establishing Las Vegas in direct competition to Virgin Atlantic’s city pair. This now means BA serves Las Vegas from both Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Both BA destinations will see three flights a week from next summer.

Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific has increased their presence in Europe, thanks to their growing fleet of A350-900 aircraft. From Summer 2018, the airline will launch pioneering non-stop routes linking Hong Kong with Brussels, Dublin and Copenhagen, further strengthening the airline’s network and providing new trade and tourism opportunities between Asia and Europe.

The most exciting news however lies with Qantas enhanced Kangaroo route options. The airline will return to Singapore on it’s London routes, leaving all Dubai routes purely to strategic partner Emirates. The airline who now will have three one-stop options between the East Coast of Australia and Europe has leveraged hubs that offer more options for travellers outside of Melbourne and Sydney.

Perth acts as a strategic hub for West Coast Australia and Melbourne, while Singapore offers multiple flight options to other East Coast cities such as Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Dubai and the Emirates partnership allow for multiple connections within Europe, offering an enhanced European network at the same time.

This move out of Dubai was brought about because of the introduction of the 787-9 service from London to Perth. “Improvements in aircraft technology mean the Qantas network will eventually feature a handful of direct routes between Australia and Europe, but this will never overtake the sheer number of destinations served by Emirates and that’s why Dubai will remain an important hub for our customers.” said Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas Group.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said: “The Emirates-Qantas partnership has been, and continues to be, a success story. Together we deliver choice and value to consumers, mutual benefit to both businesses, and expanded tourism and trade opportunities for the markets served by both airlines. We remain committed to the partnership.

“Emirates has worked with Qantas on these network changes. We see an opportunity to offer customers an even stronger product proposition for travel to Dubai, and onward connectivity to our extensive network in Europe, Middle East and Africa. We will announce updates in the coming weeks.”