Qantas Airways announced Tuesday that it will begin flying the double-decker Airbus A380 between Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and Sydney starting Sept. 29. This is the second A380 service for DFW Airport, which is spending $2.8 million to add a jetbridge at Terminal D, gates 15 and 16, to accommodate the jumbo jet. Emirates Airline has announced it will fly the A380 on its DFW-Dubai route beginning in October.
“The announcement of Qantas Airways A380 service to DFW is outstanding news for our Airport and the Dallas/Fort Worth region, because it adds more seats to what has become a very popular and important route,” said DFW Airport chief executive Sean Donohue in a statement.
Donohue and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price recently took a trade trip to Australia to promote North Texas’ regional economy and tourism. By using the larger jet, instead of the Boeing 747-400, Qantas will be able to operate a direct flight to Sydney. Currently, the Australian carrier flies directly from Sydney to DFW but stops in Brisbane on the return trip. The Sydney to DFW flight is the longest regularly scheduled commercial passenger flight in the world, taking about 15 hours and 25 minutes to travel the 8,500 mile route.
Qantas will operate six flights per week, dropping its Tuesday flight. However, with the A380 able to carry 484 passengers, Qantas will increase its seat capacity on the route by 10 percent per week.
“Dallas/Fort Worth has become an important gateway for Qantas customers since we started flying there in 2011,” said Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce in a statement.
The carrier is a member of American’s Oneworld alliance and also has a partnership with Emirates.
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