QANTAS: Finally, airline to move to Perth Airport Terminal One by 2030

Boy, has this been a long time coming. After years of on-again-off-again unsuccessful negotiations, Qantas and Perth Airport look like they have agreed on a deal. By 2030, Qantas international operations will be located in Terminal One/Airport Central.

Qantas will move to the other side of the runway joining other airlines at Airport Central. The deal, according to reports on Radio 6PR, is subject to agreement by the Department of Home Affairs to finalise passenger screening arrangements.

Current situation for Qantas and Jetstar

At the moment, all international flights leave from Terminal 1 on the eastern side of the airport, except Qantas.

Qantas and Jetstar maintain their own international terminals, from which flights to London and Rome operate, on the other side of the runway to Terminal 1. It makes for an efficient operation from the Qantas point of view because domestic travellers from elsewhere in Australia don’t need to change terminals to catch onward international and domestic flights. This makes for very efficient connections for East Coast travellers winging their way to London or Rome. And if rumours are to be believed, soon to Paris.

If Qantas and Jetstar ran a split domestic and international operation out of different terminals on opposite sides of the runway, that would mean a 15-minute bus ride to make a connection. Qantas has resisted that move for a very long time.

Its intransigence has caused inconvenience not just to passengers but to the Airport and the Australian Government, who have had to provide split security, customs and immigration services, especially for Qantas/Jetstar.

The other complication to combining the services all at T1 and T2, or Airport Central as it is known, is that Qantas would need to build a new terminal. Terminals don’t come cheap, so we presume who pays for all of this has been the point of contention in the negotiations between the Airport, governments and the Qantas Group.

2PAXfly Takeout

For years, Qantas has claimed that it wants Perth to be its western gateway to the rest of the world. It has plans to add more destinations in South East Asia and direct European flights, including Paris and Frankfurt. However, it has resisted a terminal amalgamation deal, presumably because it would have to fork out for a new terminal.

With a change in leadership from Alan Joyce to Vanessa Hudson, presumably, negotiation tactics have changed. That has allowed this new agreement, admittedly five years after it was initially proposed.

Qantas, back in 2018, also sued Perth Airport over aeronautical fees. The action in the Supreme Court was defeated last year.

Looks like Ms Hudson had brought fresh life to the deal. Perhaps the first success notch to etch on her belt as CEO.