Qantas adds extra flights, Joyce says it will put ‘downward pressure’ on fares

Qantas has unveiled a swath of additional services to New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles, as well as two new international routes from Brisbane from October, as part of a push to expand international capacity which is expected to lower fares.

The carrier has committed to lease two Airbus A330s from Finnair to help the airline meet its goal of returning to 100 per cent of pre-COVID-19 international flying capacity by March 2024. The agreement to lease the aircraft stipulates Qantas will also use Finnair pilots and cabin crew – known as “wet leasing” – for the first two years of the four-year arrangement.

The decision was met with outcry from Qantas pilots who accused the carrier of poor fleet planning and “outsourcing the spirit of Australia”.

Qantas chief Alan Joyce said the boost to the network will add “hundreds of thousands of seats” in time for summer, and give the carrier time to train an additional 300 pilots and cabin crew to takeover crewing the services. He also said ongoing supply chain issues continue to affect the aviation industry’s recovery, but the additional flights would put “downward pressure” on airfares.

“The Finnair pilots will fly services from Singapore to Australia to allow the Qantas pilots to do more flying to Japan. This doesn’t lose a single Australian job, it creates Australian jobs. These aircraft will create 200 cabin crew and 100 pilot jobs, it’s a positive for job creation and anyone who says anything else is just wrong,” Joyce said in a press conference on Friday.

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“We know our customers are looking for great value and this additional capacity will also put downward pressure on fares.”

Australian and International Pilots Association President Captain Tony Lucas said the Finnair agreement was an “appalling decision to outsource Australian jobs and a significant failure of management”.

“Qantas’ decision to wet lease two Finnair aircraft is shocking, bitterly disappointing and could have been avoided with more effective management decisions,” he said.