Qantas group chief executive Alan Joyce has said the Boeing 787 Dreamliners that will join the fleet next year are ‘game-changing’ and talks over direct Perth-London flights are well advanced.
Joyce said: "This aircraft allows us to fly routes that we could only imagine in the past. It allows us to fly from Perth to London, from Sydney to Chicago or Melbourne to Dallas."
An announcement may be just weeks away, he said.
"We are still in the midst of discussions and there is always to-ing and fro-ing on commercial discussions, but it’s such a great opportunity for Western Australia it would be a shame if we couldn’t close a deal.
"It’s so game-changing because Australia has never been connected with Europe with a regular passenger service."
The carrier starts taking delivery of the new jets in October next year and has updated its livery to coincide with the Dreamliners joining the fleet.
The new livery, which was last updated in 2007, shows a streamlined kangaroo logo.
Joyce added: "We wanted to make sure our brand remained familiar but we also wanted it to be more modern and dynamic, like the 787 and like Qantas."
