Qantas pauses Perth to London route due to expected Iranian attack on Israel
Airline’s Perth-to-London flights will now stop over in Singapore to avoid Iranian airspace amid fears Tehran will strike Israel
Elias Visontay Transport and urban affairs reporter
Sat 13 Apr 2024 09.57 AEST
Qantas has been forced to pause its non-stop flights from Perth to London to avoid Iranian airspace amid fears Tehran is planning an imminent attack on Israel.
As the world braces for a potential flare up in the region, the airline’s Perth to London flights will instead operate via a stop in Singapore for the foreseeable future.
The roughly 17-and-a-half hour flight to London’s Heathrow airport – the only non-stop regularly scheduled commercial flights between Australia and the United Kingdom – are only achievable on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a route over Iranian airspace.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the non-stop flights from Perth were operating to a modified route due to concerns about Iranian airspace.
“We’re temporarily adjusting the flight paths for our flights between Perth and London due to the situation in parts of the Middle East,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ll reach out to customers directly if there’s any change to their booking.”
The Perth-London service, normally QF9, has now been assigned QF209, and stops via Singapore to refuel.
The return leg, from London to Perth, will continue as a non-stop service. The same aircraft, a Boeing 787-9, can fly to a modified path to avoid Iranian airspace without requiring a refuelling stop.
This is because fuel burn and flight times are slightly reduced when flying eastwards due to jetstreams.
Airline’s Perth-to-London flights will now stop over in Singapore to avoid Iranian airspace amid fears Tehran will strike Israel
Elias Visontay Transport and urban affairs reporter
Sat 13 Apr 2024 09.57 AEST
Qantas has been forced to pause its non-stop flights from Perth to London to avoid Iranian airspace amid fears Tehran is planning an imminent attack on Israel.
As the world braces for a potential flare up in the region, the airline’s Perth to London flights will instead operate via a stop in Singapore for the foreseeable future.
The roughly 17-and-a-half hour flight to London’s Heathrow airport – the only non-stop regularly scheduled commercial flights between Australia and the United Kingdom – are only achievable on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a route over Iranian airspace.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the non-stop flights from Perth were operating to a modified route due to concerns about Iranian airspace.
“We’re temporarily adjusting the flight paths for our flights between Perth and London due to the situation in parts of the Middle East,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ll reach out to customers directly if there’s any change to their booking.”
The Perth-London service, normally QF9, has now been assigned QF209, and stops via Singapore to refuel.
The return leg, from London to Perth, will continue as a non-stop service. The same aircraft, a Boeing 787-9, can fly to a modified path to avoid Iranian airspace without requiring a refuelling stop.
This is because fuel burn and flight times are slightly reduced when flying eastwards due to jetstreams.
