Qantas marks 90 years of international flights as its network expansion is held back by fleet

It’s 90 years to the day since Qantas first carried two passengers on a DH86 aircraft from Brisbane to Singapore but the airline now faces significant challenges to its expansion.

It’s 90 years since Qantas flew its first international service, carrying two paying passengers in a DH86 from Brisbane to Singapore on April 17, 1935.

That flight now takes about eight hours, but back then the trip took three-and-a-half days, requiring 16 stops on the journey.

Since then Qantas has carried 273 million passengers in and out of Australia, across a network spanning 34 destinations in 25 countries.

Qantas began flying from Sydney to Singapore in 1938 with six Empire flying boats. Passengers enjoyed full cabin service with hot meals. Picture: Qantas

Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said the milestone was a “proud” moment, but he was “equally excited” about what was ahead with the arrival of new A350 aircraft from late 2026.

Until then Qantas faced a more challenging time due to fleet constraints which were starting to impact the airline’s international market share.

International airline activity data compiled by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, shows Qantas’ market share at 15.6 per cent, down from 16.2 per cent a year ago.

A Qantas spokeswoman attributed the fall to “capacity growth by other airlines” at the same time as Qantas was restricted due to limited aircraft.

The limitations had resulted in some network changes within the Qantas group. It next month launches its Melbourne-Honolulu service but is withdrawing from Sydney-Seoul operation in a swap with partner Jetstar.

The return to service of two Qantas A380s by year’s end was expected to relieve some of the pressure, along with the arrival of new A321XLRs.

Qantas took on a new look in the 1970s with striking uniforms designed by Pucci. Picture: Qantas

At the same time Jetstar was expanding rapidly thanks to the addition of almost two dozen new aircraft since 2022, including three A320neos and 20 A321neos.

As a result, Jetstar’s own international market share climbed from 10.3 per cent to 12.1 in the past year, lifting the Qantas Group’s total market share to 27.7 per cent.

The budget carrier is adding more routes in the months ahead, including from the Gold Coast to Hamilton and Dunedin in New Zealand in June, and to Bali’s capital, Denpasar, from August 1.

The three times a week Gold Coast-Bali service will compete directly with Virgin Australia’s flights on the route, launched in March 2023, which have proven to be popular.

Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said Bali was still the top destination for its customers.

“We are thrilled to provide our customers with a low-cost connection between the Gold Coast and Bali, making it more affordable and convenient for travellers to reach the Indonesian holiday island,” Ms Tully said.

Jetstar plans to expand its Philippines services with flights between Perth and Manila, and Brisbane-Cebu from November 27.

Qantas crew flew a new 747-438 non-stop from London to Sydney in 1989 breaking two world aviation records for distance and time. Picture: Qantas.

Not to be overshadowed by its low-cost partner, Qantas is committed to more new routes although chief Vanessa Hudson said it would not add additional US or European ports this year.

She has previously nominated Chicago, Seattle, Las Vegas and Athens as potential new destinations for Qantas.

Ms Hudson said Perth-Johannesburg, which was flagged last year as commencing in mid-2025, was still on the cards.

“We’re just working with government to make sure that all of the resources around Border Force and that border control is in place,” Ms Hudson said in Toulouse, France last month.

“It’s something that everybody’s pushing really hard on, and we’re working with the government and Perth Airport to get it on as soon as possible.”

As well as retrofitting the economy cabins of A330s to extend the life of the aircraft, Qantas was awaiting 12 custom-made A350-1000s for ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise routes, now due to take off in 2027.

Another dozen A350s were on order to replace A330s and A380s in the next decade along with more Boeing 787-9s.

Originally published as Qantas marks 90 years of international flights as its network expansion is held back by fleet