Qantas and its budget unit Jetstar will launch their first services from Australia to Vanuatu from September, largely replacing the capacity lost from its grounded codeshare partner Air Vanuatu. Qantas will fly thrice a week between Brisbane and Port Vila from 10 September using Boeing 737s and may increase to five per week based on demand. "We've long served Vanuatu through our codeshare partnership and this new route ensures our customers have more choice and consistent service to the island destination we know they enjoy," says Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace. In previous regulatory filings, Qantas had signalled that it would start the services using Embraer 190-E1s from wet-lease partner Alliance Airlines before scaling up to 737s, but now appears to have gone straight to the larger type. Schedules data shows that this will pit it against Virgin Australia, which operates daily services on the route. Jetstar will offer up to four weekly flights from Sydney using its Airbus A321neo LRs, starting 12 December. "Ahead of the arrival of our 13th A321neo LR next month and more new aircraft on the way, we're continuing to grow our international network with the launch of low fares seats between Sydney and Port Vila," Jetstar Group chief executive Stephanie Tully says. There are currently no operators on the Sydney-Port Vila route, however Virgin has signalled that it plans to launch thrice-weekly services on the route in the near term, rising to five per week from late October.

Jetstar will launch new transtasman routes in December and April and increase capacity on domestic routes as it adds another jet to its Christchurch base. The low-cost carrier will start flights between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast on a thrice weekly frequency from 13 December and has flagged more frequency on the Auckland-Christchurch and Auckland-Wellington routes. From 1 April 2025, it will also launch twice weekly flights between Christchurch and Cairns, rising to thrice weekly from 6 April. To operate the additional flights, Jetstar will base an additional Airbus A320 at Christchurch from December, taking its New Zealand fleet to eight aircraft. “Having another aircraft based in Christchurch, as well as the launch of new flights and capacity, will help establish the city as a major gateway for Jetstar in New Zealand, providing more choice and great low fares for South Island residents," says Jetstar Group chief executive Stephanie Tully. Jetstar adds that it will adjust its Christchurch to Melbourne flight times to improve connectivity to its long-haul network, offering better access to its flights between Melbourne and Asia, including Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket, Singapore and Bangkok.

Qantas will add 14 more De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s to its group fleet to allow for the gradual phase out of its smaller -300 and -200 turboprops that are used on regional routes. The airline says that the mid-life Dash 8-400s with a 78-seat configuration will start joining the fleet before the end of the year, eventually taking its fleet of the type to 45. Fleets data shows that the 16 Dash 8-300s that operate in QantasLink colours are between 19.6 and 24.3 years old, while the three -200s are 27-28.5 years old. In comparison, its 31 existing Dash 8-400s are between 9.9 and 18.5 years old. "By consolidating our turboprops into a single fleet type, we’ll be able to further improve our reliability and provide a better recovery for our customers during disruptions as well as reducing complexity and cost for our operation," says the airline's chief executive Vanessa Hudson. Qantas adds that the capital investment to acquire the aircraft will be spread across its 2025 and 2026 fiscal years and will be managed within its existing guidance of A$3.7-3.9 billion ($2.46-2.59 billion). Schedules data shows that the turboprop fleet mostly operates on regional services to Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, and several intrastate routes in Queensland.