Australian national flag carrier Qantas has launched its new direct service between Perth, Western Australia, and Johannesburg. This complements the airline’s existing service between Sydney and Johannesburg.

“[Sunday] marks an important milestone as our inaugural direct service from Johannesburg to Perth takes to the skies, strengthening connectivity between South Africa and Western Australia,” affirmed Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace. “We’ve seen a really positive response since announcing the route in May, with the inaugural flight almost full and strong forward bookings. The new flights also make it easier for South Africans to visit Western Australia, reconnect with family and friends, or continue on to destinations across Australia through seamless connections to our domestic network. And with the launch of our new Perth-Auckland service, customers travelling from Johannesburg now have more options to reach New Zealand with just one stop.”

The service is operated on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, using an Airbus A330, configured with 27 business class and 224 economy class seats. Business class is arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with lie-flat seats, all of which have access to the aisles. The flight time is nine hours and 55 minutes.

“The Johannesburg-Perth service deepens our connectivity with the Oceania region and will play an important role in growing inbound business events traffic,” highlighted South African Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille. “As we prepare for Meetings Africa 2026 in February and Africa’s Travel Indaba in May, this route creates an easier, faster and more attractive pathway for delegates, exhibitors and buyers from across Australia and New Zealand. For leisure travellers, this flight opens South Africa’s full range of offerings, from bush to beach, from culture to cuisine, and from adventure to relaxation, across all nine of our diverse provinces.”

According to the latest census figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are nearly 45 000 West Australian residents who were born in South Africa. This means that South Africa is the number four country of birth for West Australians, after England, New Zealand and India.

“With these flights from Johannesburg and Auckland bringing an estimated 80 000 additional seats to our State each year, our aviation industry continues to supercharge Western Australia’s visitor economy, supporting local jobs and local businesses as part of our government’s economic diversification strategy,” pointed out Western Australia Tourism Minister Reece Whitby.

With the launch of this new route, Qantas can now offer 292 000 seats each year between South Africa and Australia. These are subdivided into 212 430 between Sydney and Johannesburg, and 79 650 between Perth and Johannesburg.