Qantas renews Perth–Rome route for 2024

Perth–Rome was one of Qantas’s most popular international routes in 2022, with 97.7 per cent seat utilisation on inbound services and 91.9 per cent on outbound services over the month of July. It is currently the only direct route between Australia and continental Europe.

“We saw many customers using Rome as a gateway to continental Europe, connecting onwards with our network of partners, with Sicily, Athens and Barcelona being amongst the top destinations last year,” said Qantas international CEO Cameron Wallace.

“The route is fantastic for tourism operators across Western Australia, not just because of the influx of visitors we’ve seen from Italy, but also because it promotes Perth as a stopover for Australians travelling to Europe from the east coast.

“One of the trends we’ve seen emerge post-COVID is that preference for direct flights is higher than ever. Strong customer demand for our long-haul international routes has given us the confidence to commit to a third season in 2024.”

WA Premier Roger Cook has labelled the flights as a “game-changer” for the state’s economy.

“The resumption of what has proved to be a very popular flight has obvious economic and cultural benefits for our State,” he said.

“Linking Perth and Rome with direct flights enables us to deliver on our strategy to diversify our economy and support jobs across a range of sectors, including tourism and hospitality.”

Qantas Group’s international capacity is currently at around 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with the group expecting to return to 100 per cent in March next year.

The national carrier last week resumed flights from Sydney to New York via Auckland and will restart its Melbourne–Hong Kong route next week.