Qantas Returns to Paris in Time for Olympic Games

‍DALLAS — Comebacks are always a sign of prosperity, and Qantas (QF) again proved its intercontinental success with yet another nonstop flight inauguration between Australia and Europe.

The airline carrying the “Spirit of Australia” has officially arrived at Paris' Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) on board flight QF33 from Perth Airport (PER) using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The flight time was 17 h and 20 min across 7,700 nautical miles.

The operational debut of the PER-CDG flights perfectly coincides with the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and QF announced that the Australian Olympic players will fly to France on board their national flag carrier.

Flight QF33 has two segments. The first one originates in Sydney (SYD) and stops in Perth before continuing to CDG.

Qantas can fly five routes in two dedicated markets through Perth using just three aircraft. Image: Airways

Perth Becomes a “Scissor” Hub

With the addition of Paris as a new destination for QF, PER, in Western Australia, has been transformed into an intercontinental “Scissor” hub, which is a particular type of airline-based airport that optimizes fleet use on several routes.

In this case, by using three Boeing 787 Dreamliners, QF can serve five routes, including Perth to London, Rome, and Paris, and the high-demand regional airbridges to Sydney and Melbourne.

The inauguration of this new service brings Qantas closer to finalizing “Project Sunrise.”

Awaiting the delivery of the Airbus A350-1000ULR in 2026, QF can now evaluate and test the commercial viability of ultra-long-haul flying between Australia, Europe, and the United States.