Qantas Launches Direct Flights From Perth To Newcastle & Hobart

Qantas has announced direct flights from Perth to Hobart and Newcastle. The new flights are to be operated by QantasLink Airbus A319 jets, and will be wheels up by September. As well as supporting the WA resource sector, both routes will offer customers improved connectivity into Perth and Qantas’s growing western hub. One-stop connections from Hobart and Newcastle to London, Paris and Rome will also be possible.

From 8 September 2025, Qantas will fly direct between Perth and Newcastle on Monday, Friday and Sunday. The new flights will provide over 45,000 seats each year between the two cities, and make QantasLink the only carrier to operate the route.

Down south in Hobart, Qantas will resume its Perth service from 26 September 2025. Flights were originally operated by larger Qantas 737’s until 2023, when the route was axed. The new QantasLink service will operate on Monday, Friday and Sunday year-round, with the exception of May, June and August.

QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan was proud to continue supporting regional Australia.

“These direct services will not only boost inbound visitors to WA but offer more opportunities for those working in the resource sectors across the country…with our newest QantasLink routes linking Perth to Hobart once more and Perth to Newcastle for the first time.”

Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation, who fly under the QantasLink brand, will operate the new routes with 150-seat Airbus A319 aircraft. Network operates an aging fleet of jets out of Perth, with the eight A319’s currently held aged between 17 and 20 years.

These aircraft were originally flown by the much-hated US budget airline Spirit, with the first jet transferred to QantasLink in January of last year. Qantas made a few cabin modifications before accepting passengers in Australia, including the removal of Spirit's wider “Big Front Seats” in the first few rows, and adding an extra five Economy seats throughout.

QantasLink A319 Seat Map (credit: AeroLOPA)

The Qantas seats appear to be the same Recaro design passengers would find when flying on a Jetstar A320. As it happens, QantasLink A319 seat pitch is the same 28" as Jetstar Economy. That can become pretty tight on the knees, and for context, Qantas 737 Economy seats have 30" seat pitch.

Hard slimline seats aren’t exactly ideal for flights above four hours on the full-service Flying Kangaroo, but I guess these are the only suitably sized aircraft Qantas can spare. Onboard meals and checked bags are included in all fares, and aircraft are fitted with inflight entertainment streaming. QantasLink A319’s do not offer inflight WiFi.

The new routes are already available for booking on qantas.com, with Economy launch fares starting from $299 one-way from Perth to either Newcastle or Hobart. Sale ends 11:59pm June 2nd, unless sold out prior.