Qantas will open the first nonstop route between Australia and Cape Town in October 2027, using incoming Boeing 787-9s to expand its African network.
The seasonal service between Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) will begin Oct. 19 and operate through March 24, 2028. Flights will run three times per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, adding almost 30,000 seats to the Australia-South Africa market.
The 6,828-mi. (5,933-nm) route will complement Qantas’ existing flights from Sydney and Perth to Johannesburg. It is being enabled by additional 787-9s scheduled to arrive in late 2027 as part of the airline’s wider fleet renewal program.
“Cape Town is a true bucket-list city, and Australia’s appetite to visit has never been stronger,” Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said. “Each year, tens of thousands of customers use our existing Johannesburg services to connect to Cape Town through our partner airline Airlink, so we know there’s strong demand for a nonstop service.”
Sabre Market Intelligence data shows approximately 76,600 two-way passengers traveled between Australia and Cape Town in 2025, up 7.4% from about 71,300 a year earlier. Cape Town was Africa’s second-largest destination from Australia after Johannesburg, which attracted approximately 178,500 passengers.
Sydney-Cape Town traffic totaled about 18,800 passengers in 2025, an increase of 1.9% from the previous 12 months. Additionally, Melbourne generated approximately 15,700 Cape Town passengers in 2025, followed by Brisbane with 15,000, while Perth was the largest Australian origin with just over 19,000.
Overall, an estimated 627,000 passengers traveled between Australia and Africa during 2025, up 8% year over year. South Africa accounted for approximately 284,700 passengers, or 45.4% of the total, following growth of 9.5%.
Almost 225,000 South African-born people live in Australia, according to figures cited by Qantas, with about one-quarter residing in New South Wales.
The announcement came alongside a Qantas trading update showing that international demand remains strong despite elevated fuel prices. The group said some customers were redirecting travel away from the Middle East, supporting demand elsewhere across the Qantas and Jetstar networks.
Qantas expects the group’s fuel bill to reach about AU$3.75 billion ($2.58 billion) during the first half of fiscal 2027 based on current forward prices. The group is approximately 85% hedged for the full year, mainly through Brent crude oil positions.
Domestic and international total unit revenue are both expected to increase by 8-10% during the first half, unchanged from guidance issued with Qantas’ fiscal 2026 results. However, the airline said it would continue adjusting fares and capacity in response to higher fuel costs.
Group international capacity is forecast to rise 2% during the first half of fiscal 2027 and 1% in the third quarter, while Qantas International capacity is expected to increase 3% and 1%, respectively.
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