PERTH- Australian flag carrier, Qantas (QF) and Perth Airport (PER) signed a multi-billion dollar agreement today (May 31, 2024). The 12-year agreement will boost the domestic and international traffic in the region.
Following this, the Perth Airport will invest around three Billion Australian dollars to develop new terminal facilities and a new parallel runway. These developments will create multiple job opportunities for locals and boost the economy of the region.
Qantas and Perth Airport Agreement
Perth Airport is already making an A$5 billion investment, which is one of the largest-ever investments in infrastructure in the region. With the help of this, the airport will build two multi-level car parking facilities, new roads to connect infrastructure, and the first airport hotel.
Here’s the timeline of this remarkable and historical infrastructure development project,
Both Qantas and Jetstar (JQ) will move to the new terminal, which is located in the Airport Central area. This will help Perth Airport to become the major western hub for both domestic and international airlines.
With the opening of the new terminal in 2031, both Qantas and Jetstar aim to add 4.4 million seats for inbound and outbound flights each year.
After its opening, the hub will enhance connectivity between Australia and other regions such as Asia, particularly India, Africa, and Europe.
World-Class Travel Experience
The new terminal will provide passengers with a world-class travel experience, featuring seamless domestic and international transfers, state-of-the-art check-in, and bag drop facilities.
Qantas will collaborate with Perth Airport to develop a multi-lounge precinct for both international and domestic passengers, incorporating a new signature design and customized dining and wellness options.
As part of the agreement, Qantas plans to construct a new engineering hangar in the Airport Central precinct.
Perth Airport will also upgrade Terminals 3 and 4, currently used by Qantas for domestic and international flights, to create additional capacity during the construction of the new terminals.
Jetstar will move its domestic services to Terminal 2 starting September 2024, paving the way for further growth for both airlines, before relocating to the new Airport Central Terminal upon its completion.
Boost to Project Sunrise
The upgrades to Terminals 3 and 4 will allow Qantas to add services and more destinations from Perth, including Auckland and Johannesburg from mid-2025, subject to border agency approvals. The upgrades will also include improvements to accommodate ultra-long-haul aircraft, such as the Project Sunrise Airbus A350s arriving in 2026.
Qantas and Perth Airport have also agreed on the need and timing for the new parallel runway, expected to open in 2028.
The new runway will support further growth in the critical resources sector and ensure the long-term future of aviation in Western Australia.
Now let’s hear, what airline and airport executives and Premier has to say about this agreement.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson Remarks
This is the largest airport infrastructure deal in our history. It will enable us to create a world-class western hub and significantly expand our domestic and international services over the short, medium and long term.
Vanessa Hudson, CEO of Qantas Airways
Not only will it allow us to bring hundreds of thousands more travellers to and through Western Australia each year, it will also make it easier for overseas tourists to connect to more destinations across Australia.
Perth-London and Perth-Rome are two of the most popular flights on our international network, which gives us confidence in our strategy to ramp up WA flying over the next few years as we receive new aircraft and grow our fleet.
The additional flying will see us create an estimated 700 new jobs in Western Australia across pilots, crew, engineering and airport staff.
With the launch of Perth-Paris in July and Jetstar’s new services into Asia starting later this year, we have a pipeline of growth underway that will mean Perth is on track to become our second biggest international gateway behind Sydney.”
Perth Airport CEO Jason Waters
This is a special moment in the history of aviation in Western Australia as this agreement will unlock the future for both Perth Airport and Qantas.
Jason Waters, CEO of Perth Airport
Qantas has some ambitious growth plans for its operations in Perth and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to push ahead together to realise this potential.
Western Australians will now see the largest-ever private investment in an infrastructure development in Perth – a once in a lifetime investment program that will completely change the face of Perth Airport over the next decade.
Perth Airport’s plans will see more than $5 billion invested in delivering new terminal facilities, a new parallel runway, two multi-storey carparks with associated roadworks, and our first airport hotel.
This will create thousands of construction and on-going jobs, underpin the future growth of the FIFO-based resources sector, generate new tourism and trade opportunities, and deliver enormous ongoing benefits to Western Australia.
Most importantly, it will deliver one airport for the people of Western Australia which will host all flight services giving them a seamless, world class travel experience.”
And Western Australian Premier Roger Cook Insights,
This commitment cements our place as the Western Gateway to Australia.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook
By opening up new flights routes and adding millions of extra passenger seats each year, we’re positioning WA as a major tourist destination in the region.
It will turn Perth Airport into a world-class travel hub for visitors and for Western Australians, and put Perth onto the world stage for travellers.
It’s part of our plan to diversify WA’s economy, create long-term jobs and set our State up for the future.”
At last, this agreement will resolve all the previous financial disputes between Qantas and Perth Airport.
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