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Qantas is boosting services between Australia and Europe amid the conflict in the Middle East, as demand spikes.
Between mid-April and late July, the Flying Kangaroo will switch its Paris flights from Perth to operate from Sydney via Singapore, adding two extra services per week and allowing 60 extra customers per flight, while Perth–Rome will fly daily and Perth–Singapore 10 times per week.
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Perth–London will continue to operate via Singapore, though London–Perth will remain a non-stop service, while Perth–Singapore will be timed to connect with the Singapore–Paris flights.
Qantas says it will accommodate the changes by pulling some of its 787-9 Dreamliners from US services and redeploying A330s from domestic routes, with affected passengers to be offered refunds or alternative flights within 24 hours of their original bookings.
The news comes as flights through the Gulf states such as Qatar and the UAE remain limited due to the threat of Iranian strikes, prompting a surge in demand for Australia-Europe services through Asian hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong, which is placing upward pressure on airfares.
In its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for February 2026, Airservices Australia said long-haul demand is “expected to soften” due to the Middle East crisis. Gulf carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways account for around 10 per cent of Australia’s external seat capacity.
“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is seeing significant impacts on the aviation sector with airspace closures and network disruptions,” the report read.
“This is particularly significant for our network, as around six per cent of Australia’s international flights rely on connectivity through the region.
“The long-term economic and geopolitical impacts of the conflict are likely to be significant and the extent of these effects will take some time to emerge.”
Additionally, in its latest Domestic Airline Competition report, the ACCC noted “significant disruption to international air travel to Europe in particular” from the Iran war, and says it is “closely monitoring” Australia’s airline industry as the situation unfolds.
“The Middle East plays a critical role in global aviation, and we’ve already seen airline operations affected worldwide, with potential for impacts to flow into our domestic market,” said ACCC commissioner Anna Brakey.
“While market conditions will ultimately determine the cost of flying, we are closely monitoring price movements, market behaviour and the airlines’ representations to consumers, and will act if there is behaviour that contravenes competition and consumer laws.”
Qantas says it will make further adjustments as required and continues to monitor the impact of the Iran crisis on fuel security, fuel prices, and travel demand.
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