Qantas has taken the next steps towards swapping the Kangaroo Route for the Camel Route to Europe and the UK.
Customers will be able to book flights through the global hub of Dubai for travel from March 31, 2013.
The revised Qantas routes, Sydney-Dubai-London and Melbourne-Dubai-London, come as the the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) considers the proposed Qantas-Emirates partnership, which remains subject to regulatory approval.
The new schedule changes do not involve coordination between the airlines and do not require ACCC approval.
CEO of Qantas International, Simon Hickey, said routing flights via Dubai (rather than through Asia) would ultimately enable improved travel options.
"The proposed partnership with Emirates will offer Qantas customers one-stop access to more than 30 destinations in Europe compared with the five we offer now," he said.
Qantas has withdrawn its request to ACCC for interim authorisation of the partnership with Emirates.
Customers with bookings prior to March 31, 2013 are not impacted by the change. Qantas will contact those customers who will be affected by the switch.
