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Qantas has applied for unlimited capacity to Canada as an open-skies agreement comes into effect.
The Flying Kangaroo, which currently flies daily to Vancouver, is seeking “unrestricted passenger capacity on the Canada route for a period of 99 years” for itself, its subsidiaries, including Jetstar, and codeshare flights with partners American Airlines and WestJet.
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It comes after the Australian government in 2024 secured an open-skies deal with Canada, to begin from the Northern Summer 2026 season.
“With the Northern Summer 2026 scheduling season commencing on 29 March 2026, Qantas Airways Limited (Qantas) seeks a new determination on the Canada route to reflect this update,” Megan Morris, Qantas’ head of group regulatory international affairs, wrote to the International Air Services Commission.
“Qantas operates up to daily flights between Sydney and Vancouver on the Canada route using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft configured with 236 seats.
“Qantas currently utilises its capacity on the Canada route to provide code share services with American Airlines and WestJet Airlines, providing a range of choices and benefits for consumers.”
Currently, services to Canada are available from Sydney, with Qantas flying to Vancouver, and Air Canada to Vancouver and Toronto; from Brisbane, Air Canada flies to Vancouver; and from Auckland, Air New Zealand flies to Vancouver.
Alongside Canada, the bilateral air service agreements announced by the government in 2024 included open skies with Malaysia, increases for both Hong Kong and Chile, and Australia’s first bilateral ASAs with Latvia, Mongolia and Rwanda.
Previously, Canadian airlines could operate 9,000 seats per week into Australia’s four major airports of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, with unlimited flights into other airports, while Malaysian carriers could fly 36,000 seats per week into major airports and unlimited into others.
The deals signed in 2024 immediately increased capacity to 50,000 weekly seats to Malaysia and 50 weekly flights to Canada.
“We’re expanding our international aviation network to increase competition and deliver a better experience for Australian travellers,” Transport Minister Catherine King said at the time.
“Whether travelling to these countries or using them as stepping stones to the rest of the world, each of these arrangements represents a stronger connection with our global market – for travel, trade and tourism.
“We committed to this in our Aviation White Paper and today we are delivering on that commitment – landing additional capacity in the international sector.”
There are now 110 bilateral air service agreements in place between Australia and other countries.
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